To celebrate Bike to School Week 2015, Halfords is offering a free one-hour Gear-UP! Bike Workshop for schools in Wales on 10th and 17th June. The sessions teach pupils in their final year of primary school basic bike maintenance.
Held in schools by Halfords colleagues, the free workshop is the ideal way for school children to learn all about cycling safety and how to keep their bike in tiptop condition. The session also aims to help children develop their confidence and independence when cycling.
Halfords’ Community and CSR Manager, Emma Thomas, said “We’re so proud that, since the Halfords Gear Up! Workshops kicked off in June last year, we’ve taught 12,000 children about bike maintenance and safety, a key part of kids becoming confident on their bikes. The two upcoming June sessions will follow Bike to School Week, in celebration of all the fantastic things schools have achieved throughout the UK to encourage cycling all year round.
Our research* shows 82% of parents in Wales want cycling safety added to the National Curriculum – and the fact that thousands of children have benefited from the Gear-UP! Bike Workshops shows how important cycling education is.”
Research from Halfords has uncovered that 82% of Wales would like to see Bikeability become part of the National Curriculum and 32% of local parents would like schools to teach cycle safety.
Halfords’ Gear Up! Bike Workshops teach kids about bike maintenance and safety and help them develop key life skills including teamwork and problem-solving as well as promoting exercise in an engaging way. In addition, to date 57,000 kids and parents have attended Halfords Kids’ Bike Clubs that run through the Easter and summer holidays (www.halfords.com/bikeclub).
The Gear UP! Workshop includes how to find and fix a puncture, put a chain back on, adjust handle bars and cycling hazards to avoid. Fun, downloadable activities will be available for pupils taking part as well as ongoing support to help pupils learn all about bikes. There will also be money-off vouchers to go towards bike purchases, cycle accessories and safety equipment and pupils can take part in a competition to win a bike of their choice as well as free cycle helmets for their class mates. Each attendee will be given a certificate of achievement on completion of the workshop.
Spaces can only be booked by schools direct and are limited to one workshop for up to 30 pupils per school. They are available on 10th and 17th June on a first-come, first-served basis.
To check dates, availability and to book a Gear-UP! Workshop, go to www.halfords.com/schools. Please note that the booking system closes a week before each workshop.
*Research from a YouGov nationwide survey of more than 4,500 adults, commissioned by Halfords
