Cycling sessions in Burgess Park could be at risk if Southwark Council follow through with plans to build a skate park on the site.
Every weekend, the cycling group JoyRiders assemble on an unassuming, litter-strewn patch of concrete in the south east London park to hold free sessions where bikes are provided.
This space is used to set beginners up on bikes, allowing instructors to assess their ability and get the wheels turning in a safe, off-road environment.
JoyRiders’ general manager Scott Weddell told the Londoners: “We know that more people than ever want to ride a bike, but there are still barriers.”
However, these sessions could be at risk if Southwark Council follows through with a proposed redevelopment of JoyRiders’ patch into a skate park.
Instructors said they were concerned that such a multi-use space would render the conditions unsafe for beginner cyclists.
Not only do instructors believe this space is fundamental to the work the company does, it is routinely used by community groups to gather and host various events.
Alex Loader, 40, and Tom Morgan, 43, have brought their two young children to several sessions organised by JoyRiders over the past two years.
The parents had found the group by chance when attempting to teach their daughter, aged five, to ride a pedal bike.
Loader had headed down to the park’s BMX track to get some inspiration for her daughter and found a JoyRiders session in progress.
“I’d never heard of the group before, and I just saw that there was a cycling lesson going on,” she said.
“The next week we came back, and all it really took was a kind stranger who knows more about cycling than we do.”
Morgan added: “That moment of learning to ride a bike is forever etched in your memory.
“I’m sure my daughter will forever remember where she first learned to ride her bike, here in Burgess Park.”
Burgess Park is home to the only consistent family sessions run by JoyRiders.
Morgan added: “To have the opportunity on your doorstep and to be a part of a shared experience is truly remarkable.
“It’s an incredible service which should be championed by everyone in the local community.”
Plans first proposed five years ago are currently on hold whilst the council considers enhanced provision for the site.
Weddell said he did not believe these plans would go ahead.
He said: “If that happens, I will eat my hat.
“The last I heard from the council is that there isn’t any money to build a skate park.”
However, Councillor Portia Mwangangye, Southwark Council’s cabinet member for leisure, parks and young people, said the plans remain in place.
“Southwark has a long term vision to create an improved and modern area for skating and biking in Burgess park, when funding can be identified,” she said.
“The area will continue to be a public open space available for JoyRiders to use for cycling.”
Similar cycling initiatives run across the capital using funding from Transport for London, allocated by Southwark Council.
JoyRiders’ sessions are made possible through funding from Southwark Council’s Streets for People campaign.
Instructors said they were concerned that the vital funding for similar schemes had dropped each year despite growing demand.
Enikő Szabó, 45, has been a cycling instructor for 10 years.
Szabó said: “The demand is there.
“Once you put in place the training, the infrastructure, the people come.
“If they give us more money, we could do so much more.”
Virginia, 54, who did not wish to share her surname, has been a cycling instructor for 15 years.
She said: “The funding hasn’t gone up, which it should do.”
Despite the concerns of instructors, Weddell insisted that the Streets for People funding was likely to remain stable.
“We don’t expect to see any drop off in funding for this project,” he said.
Whilst funding remains stable and the redevelopment on hold, JoyRiders sessions continue to provide a service supported by the borough’s unique infrastructure such as cycle highways.
Despite concerns, Weddell is focused on the group’s ability to unite people from all ages and walks of life through its various sessions.
He said the most rewarding part of the job is seeing the cyclists who have learned with JoyRiders take to the roads independently.
“We see a big wave and a beaming smile looking back at us, and it’s whoever that we’ve helped learn to ride a bike,” he said.
Those who attend the free sessions held by JoyRiders can donate to the organisation via the group’s website.
Featured image credit: Lilian Mulholland
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