Getting more women into the saddle

A brand new cycling community is set to take to the saddle in Scotland, and we’re looking for your support to encourage more Women on Wheels.

 

Launching on International Women’s Day, Women on Wheels (WOW) is Scotland’s first community cycling hub for women, by women.

 

We will offer a range of cycling activities to get more women into the saddle. Our hub will welcome women of all backgrounds to come and experience the joy of cycling.

 

With its roots in the Muslim women’s cycling group, Hijabi Riders, Women on Wheels will benefit from the Hijabi Riders’ valuable experience encouraging women to cycle since 2016, and be able to bring this experience to an even wider community of women.

 

Our Vision is an all-inclusive community where women cycling is the norm, not the exception.

 

Our Mission is to empower and enable women to overcome their barriers to take up cycling - for transport, to improve their physical and mental health, and most importantly, for the pure joy of it.

 

 

 

#BreakingBarriers

 

#WomensCycling

 

#WomensCyclingCommunity

 

#BikeLove

 

#GirlsWhoRide

 

 

 

We’ve got big plans for Women on Wheels, and your support can help us get there! We are aiming to offer:

 

One-to-one lessons

Group lessons

Both Beginners and Get-Back-on-a-Bike sessions

Confidence-building cycle rides with a ride leader

Access to a loan bike for a month-long trial, plus helmet, lights, locks and panniers

Bike buddy support

Bike maintenance classes to develop skills for roadside repairs

Inspiring speaker events, film nights, and regular coffee mornings with community cycling ambassadors

Health & wellbeing events - yoga, mindfulness and nutritious food

Volunteering and up-skilling opportunities - bike maintenance skills and training women to become Ride Leaders or Cycle Trainers

 

 

How you can help:

 

WOW already has some funding in place to buy bikes, accessories and tools. We’ve also got a passionate team with a wealth of knowledge in the cycling industry geared up to get started, and we’ve even got our eyes on a potential Glasgow venue.

 

What we still need is some financial support for our set-up and running costs, and that’s where you come in.

 

Your support will go a long way to getting us up and running:

 

£10 will allow a woman to learn to ride a bike in a group lesson

£30 will go towards a one-to-one beginners or a get-back-on-a-bike cycling lesson

£50 will pay for cycle instructor costs for a 2-hour confidence-building ride for 8 women

£100 will pay for five 2-hour maintenance classes for 6 women

£200 pays for 1 year’s website hosting and 2 years’ URL costs

£250 will allow us to buy a fleet bike that we can loan out to 12 people a year for a month’s trial

£300 will help train up to 8 women as Ride Leaders

£800 will pay towards rent, utilities and security of our premises for 1 month.

£1500 will help train up to 8 women as Cycle Instructors so they can each begin to teach others to cycle

 

 

We’ll be grateful to receive a donation of any size. You can also help by:

 

Taking a minute to share our crowdfunder on social media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp

Taking 5 minutes to share our crowdfunder directly with potential patrons

Liking and sharing our posts

Encouraging others to share this crowdfunder far and wide

Telling women you know about Women on Wheels

 

We thank our beloved community in advance for your support of Women on Wheels!

 

For more information go to www.womenwheels.co.uk

 

 

Read on for the fuller picture

 

Cycling is dominated by a white, male demographic. It is much less common for women to cycle for transport and leisure, especially women of colour or BAME women.

 

 

We at WOW understand that women have a number of barriers to cycling, including lack of confidence, fear of road cycling, lack of access to a bike, being a parent/carer and lacking time, family commitments, religious and cultural barriers (not allowed, cannot cycle with men, a need to wear certain clothes), lower pay and a lack of money to pay for such services, and health concerns.

 

 

A permanent women's cycling hub would provide ongoing support and generate more opportunities for women and their families to get engaged with cycling and reap the economic, environmental and health benefits.

 

Through your support we will be able to launch our new hub in Glasgow and start:

 

Reducing barriers to cycling for women and increasing their confidence

Improving women's physical and mental health and boosting their self-esteem

Reducing feelings of isolation

Increasing community cohesion

Providing women with essential life-long cycling and bike maintenance skills

Increasing women’s access to the city and participation in city life

Increasing the number of women who cycle as their main mode of transport and activity of leisure

Impacting the long-term health & wellbeing of families through the women in their lives

Positively impacting the environment through more women cycling

Creating jobs for women in cycling and improving job prospects for women