Lime partners with LCC and Loud Mobility to launch £100,000 community cycling fund

Lime, London Cycling Campaign and Loud Mobility have joined forces to launch a new £100,000 community cycling fund to increase cycling within underrepresented groups and deliver equitable access to its benefits.

The ‘Share the Joy’ fund will support organisations and community groups who are improving London’s accessibility and inclusion, health and wellbeing and skills and connectivity, through cycling.

Funded by Lime, the community cycling fund is managed by London Cycling Campaign with support from Loud Mobility.

Hal Stevenson, director of policy, Lime UKI, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the London Cycling Campaign and Loud Mobility to set up this ‘Share the Joy’ community cycling fund.

“In the last few years Lime has become part of London’s cultural fabric – and more importantly – its critical transport infrastructure. This fund is about giving back to the community leaders and groups that have helped Londoners love cycling, and working with them to get even more people on bikes.”

The first cohort of fund recipients will each receive a £2,500 total donation to support things like core costs, project costs, and new equipment.

They include:

C86erz – a voluntary grassroots community organisation supporting people experiencing homelessness across London.

Cycle Sisters – an award-winning charity which inspires and enables Muslim women to cycle.

Londra Bisklet Kulübü – a Turkish and Kurdish focused cycling club that provides cycle training sessions and bike maintenance sessions to community members.

London Bike Kitchen – a female and non-binary led cycling hub, that provides affordable skills training from personal bike maintenance to training as a bike mechanic.

The Bike Project – an organisation which refurbishes donated second hand bikes, and provides them to refugees and people seeking asylum.

Upcycle LDN – an organisation which supports ethnically diverse young people in London to benefit from cycling through their Bike Maintenance, Cycle Skills courses and mentorship programmes.

Westminster Wheels – an organisation which serves its local community by offering refurbished bikes at an affordable price as well as training and employment routes, thereby offering affordable bike repairs and maintenance.

Wheels for Wellbeing – an accessible cycling charity which campaigns for and directly removes barriers to cycling for disabled people

Women of Colour Cycling Collective – a network connecting minority ethnic women and non-binary people across the UK, aiming to inspire, empower and motivate the community to naturally be I’m all spaced where cycling occurs.

Tom Fyans, CEO of the London Cycling Campaign, adds: “I’m proud that London is leading the way in cycling in the UK, with record numbers of cycle trips.

“But we need to ensure as many people as possible – regardless of age, income, background, experience or ability – feel cycling in London is a choice available to them. This is where the fund can help, by providing support to those working closely with their communities to overcome specific barriers.”

The fund is designed to support organisations and community groups who are working to increase equitable access to the benefits of cycling and may have difficulties accessing other funding.

As a result many of the grants are urgently needed and will be immediately put to use.

For example, London Bike Kitchen will use the funding to help reopen their DIY workshop. This will allow them to continue providing an affordable and supported space where Londoners of all backgrounds can learn skills to maintain and make best use of their cycles.

The Bike Project will use the funding to distribute more refurbished bikes to refugees and people seeking asylum on their waiting list.

C86ERZ will use the funding to provide much needed storage space to help compile and distribute cycles and items to be distributed by bike, attending to the basic needs of people experiencing homelessness across London.

Sarah Javaid, Founder and CEO of Cycle Sisters, comments: “It’s fantastic to see the launch of the Share The Joy fund which will provide much-needed support to grassroots community cycling projects such as Cycle Sisters.

“The fund’s emphasis on inclusion and diversity is particularly important to ensure all communities can experience the joy and freedom of cycling.

“Cycle Sisters will be using the funding to run group cycle rides for Muslim women in South London, with a particular focus on engaging with women who are less confident or new to cycling.”

To celebrate the launch of the fund, Lime, LCC and Loud Mobility have released 100 ‘Share the Joy’ coffee table books, celebrating the work of the nine initial fund recipients.

It provides guidance on how to apply for future grants, as well as how to get involved in donating or helping to run the fund.

The organisations will also be hosting the ‘Share the Joy Festival’ in Camden on Saturday, July 13.

Recipients will showcase their work and London’s cycling community will come together to celebrate a shared love of cycling and the launch of the fund. Free tickets available here.

The next round of fund grants will take place in September 2024, with three more before the end of 2025.

Relevant groups can find more details on the fund and how to apply via lcc.org.uk/sharethejoy.