Autumn/Winter 2016
In this
issue...
Question time for Councillor Brice-Thompson
Does your bike need a check up? Bikes in London Biker’s breakfast
The fun way to learn to ride!
PLUS Cycle events for 2017! • The BIG Pedal • Paralympic cycling
CONTENTS
2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12
Contents • Meet the team
Introducing the new Taking Steps editorial team:
Crowlands Primary
Biker’s Breakfast
Kiera Prime (Aged 11) My hobbies are swimming and trampolining.
Bike Training at Broadford.
Lucy Gibbins (11) My hobbies include dancing and shopping.
The Big Pedal • Paralympic Cycling
Miruna Iorga (11) My hobbies are writing short suspense stories, detailed drawing and my favourite subject is Maths.
Interview with Councillor Brice-Thompson
Nada Daher (10) My hobbies are writing short stories and playing hockey. My favourite subject is Literacy.
Tour De France • Cycling Events in 2017
Allanah Elcock (10) I am named after an Irish princess. When I grow up I want to be a runner that everyone knows.
Redbridge Cycling Centre Top 10 Cycling Jobs The M Check Public Cycling Events • Game
Branfil Primary Jimi Gower (10) My hobbies include football, tennis, golf and swimming. I also enjoy playing hockey. Leo Sokoni (10) I enjoy playing football and I also play the guitar. Gracie Jackson (10) I love a cup of tea and my favourite colour is pink! Isabel O’Connor (10) I love singing, dancing and acting. I would love to be a dance teacher when I am older.
Broadford Primary Melisa Krasniqi (10) Every year I travel through France, Switzerland and Italy to arrive in my home country, Albania, where I spend the summer holidays with my two siblings. Katherine Elizabeth Barrett (10) I always travel on London transport as my family doesn’t own a car. We have a dog called Poppy who loves ripping up the furniture. Daniel Charles Joy (10) My two favourite lessons at school are Maths and Science. Unlike most people I only have one kidney. Kieran Dash (10) My favourite lesson is PE and I would like to be a PE teacher. My lessons in school are helping me to get there.
2 • You can park about 15 bicycles in the same space that one car takes
Taking Steps
Biker’s Breakfast at Broadford
Children that ride their bikes or scooters to school arrive more alert and ready to start the day. This exercise can also have a positive effect on their mood. Research shows that exercise not only builds your fitness, it also boosts brainpower, which can help children do better in school.
5 steps for a successful biker’s breakfast Step 1: Choose your day and date. Step 2: Decide on your healthy items for breakfast and go shopping. Step 3: Round up some volunteers to help on the day. Step 4: Publicise your event to ensure as many children cycle as possible. Step 5: On the day set up your breakfast station and serve healthy treats to reward all of those cyclists!
Studies show that children who do aerobic exercise like walking, cycling and swimming have bigger brains, especially one part, the basal ganglia, which helps you pay attention, even through another maths lesson! One school has found that walking or cycling to school can improve pupils’ problem solving skills by 10%. Getting into the habit of travelling to school in a sustainable way at the start of the day can also encourage healthy eating habits such as having a good breakfast every morning. Children who eat breakfast have better concentration during school hours than children who skip the morning meal.
boosts school performance for the remainder of the day. Take full advantage if your school offers a biker’s breakfast. Not only will you be making a contribution to less pollution and cleaner air by travelling in a sustainable way, you will also feel the benefits in your school work. Well done everyone! Written by: Kieran and Daniel, Broadford Primary
Artists’ Corner
Eating breakfast every day can even improve your mental performance and maths scores, according to a study in the August 2013 issue of ‘Frontiers in Human Neuroscience’. According to pediatrician Dr. William Sears, children who eat breakfast also participate more in class discussions, are better able to handle complex problems in class and get better grades. In particular, a breakfast meal containing a balance of protein and complex carbohydrates
October 16 • Cycling three hours or 30 kilometers per week halves your risk of heart disease and strokes.
Thank You Gracie! (Branfil Primary)
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Bike Training at Broadford Primary ”Until I took the course, I hadn’t thought about all the dangers on the road!” Albie - Year 6
Bikeability is a cycle training programme. With three levels, each designed to improve cycling skills, Levels 1, 2 and 3 take trainees from the basics of balance and control, all the way to planning and making an independent journey on busier roads. What do you do at Level 1? Level 1 is delivered in a traffic-free environment, where you will learn basic bike handling skills and improve your riding confidence. Once you have completed Level 1 and you have received your red badge, you will be able to: • Fit your helmet correctly. • Check your bike is ready to ride. • Get on and off your bike safely. • Control your bike. • Use your gears effectively.
• Observe all around you whilst cycling. • Stop safely and quickly if you need to. "Now I am looking forward to developing the skills I have so that I can have a go on the road and get my Level 2" Jack Silva What do you do at Level 2?
Because group sizes are kept small, everyone gets the maximum benefit from the session. All the pupils have to provide is their pedal bike (without stabilisers) and the instructors do the rest. The most amazing part of this session is seeing pupils who are not
• prepare for on-road cycling • recognise typical hazards • know where to ride on the road • pass parked vehicles and side roads "Now I know to check my blind spot and look over my shoulder." Nathan Year 6
Level 2 takes place on local streets, giving trainees a real cycling experience. Trainees learn how to deal
Start to Ride The fun Learn to Ride course is for children who need to learn how to ride their bike without stabilisers.
with traffic on short journeys. Trainees are usually trained in small groups – up to 6 trainees per instructor – though individual training may also be available. At Level 2 you can:
able to ride yet conquer their bikes in just 15 minutes! Once they have achieved their balance they don’t want to stop riding! “We are always blown away by how quickly the instructors can get the children riding! The look of pride on their faces at the end was lovely. A huge thanks to our fantastic instructor team!” Mr Drakes - Headteacher
Cycling Awareness Days: Year 1 & Year 2 The Cycling Awareness Day gives the pupils a chance to develop their skills, balance and awareness of others. This leads ultimately to the Bikeability training in Year 5. CAD also helps pupils to begin thinking about bike maintenance. It is vital to ensure that your bike is in good working order: check the tyres, lights etc before you embark. Pupils also learn about how important it is to plan your route - so that you know exactly where you are going - this way you can familiarise yourself with road junctions and other things that you need to be aware of along the way.
4 • Maintaining a bike annually costs twenty times less than maintaining and using a car.
Taking Steps
The
Pedal G I B
The Big Pedal is a competition run by Sustrans that takes place over the course of two weeks. The aim is to get children more active by starting a competition that involves encouraging children to ride a bike
or scooter to school. It is recorded in school how many children have travelled to school using a bike or scooter. For more information: www.sustrans.org.uk
One way to encourage children is by giving out the class prize of a smoothie bike. To win you must have the most children riding a bike or scooter to school over the two weeks. The smoothie bike is a bike connected to a blender that is powered by a person pedalling and is guaranteed to produce a nice smoothie. In this year’s Big Pedal, Havering had four schools in the Top 50 Nationally, out of over 1700 schools! The Top Secondary school in Havering this year was The Cooper’s Company & Coborn The best Primary school was St Ursula’s Infant who came 10th in the country and 2nd in all London Boroughs – well done all! The winning schools had a visit by BMX Champion Matti Hemmings.
Paralympic Cycling Cycling at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio consisted of 50 events in two main disciplines, track cycling and road cycling. Track cycling took place in the Barra Cluster, and the Flamengo Park for the road cycling disciplines in the Copacapana Cluster. Eighteen events were contested on the track, and 32 on the road. Some facts about Paralympic cycling: Paralympic cycling became popular in the 1980’s, but was restricted to visually impaired competitors. Road cycling made its Paralympic debut at the Stoke Mandeville / New York 1984 games, 12 years before track cycling entered the event in Atlanta. On the sport’s Paralympic debut in 1984, Norway’s Morten Fromyr and France’s Domnique Molle won two gold medals each.
October 16
Italy’s Alessandro Zanardi, an ex Formula 1 driver who lost both his legs in a car crash, thrilled spectators at London’s 2012 by winning two gold medals and one silver at Brands Hatch.
Havering Council has three smoothie bikes that schools can borrow, free of charge. For further details please contact: danni.sewell@havering.gov. uk. Written by: Leoe Dimmy, Branfil Primary.
Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey won 16 medals, at Barcelona in 1992 and Atlanta in 1996, before switching to cycling and winning 6 gold medals (3 road and 3 track) at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 wow! Cycling ranks third at the Paralympic games in terms of the number of medals awarded, after athletics and swimming in road events alone, 33 medals will be up for grabs. Written by: Daniel and Kieran, Broadford Primary
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Interview with Councillor Brice-Thompson The editorial team met with Councillor Wendy Brice-Thompson, Lead Member for Adult Social Services And Health at Havering Council to talk about her role and the work she does as Chair of the London Road safety Council. What does a Councillor do and how long have you been one? I have been a Councillor for 18 years. What Councillors do is similar to what a member of Parliament does but at a local level. They attend to issues regarding the local area in which we live such as the way streets are cleaned and maintained, a certain amount of work is to do with schools, overseeing how licencing issues are dealt with and overseeing social services. Councillors meet in the Council Chamber, debate issues and make good cases for motions that we want to put forward and vote on others. We have Council meetings once every 6-8 weeks and the rest of the time we have committees that meet in between. What do you like about being a Councillor? One of the things I like about being a Councillor is having the opportunity to make a difference in the local community. If people have worries or concerns I like being in a position where I can help and possibly make life better for the local residents. I also enjoyed being Mayor. It was a lot of fun and I liked having the opportunity to go out around the borough and see what the many voluntary groups are doing to help the local residents. Sometimes we are stuck in the town hall all of the time and we don’t get to see all of the fantastic things going on around the local area. As Mayor there are lots of opportunities to do that. How long have you been the Chair at the London Road Safety Council? I have just completed my first year and I shall be Chair for one more year. I’d like
to be able to do it for longer but I don’t think I am going to be able to.
Why is road safety important at schools?
What does that Council do?
Road safety is very important around school because there are lots of children and parents coming and going at all times of the day. Some of the children are very young and they may not be aware of all of the dangers on the road, so we need to make sure that there are safety measures in place to ensure their safety. This is why children are encouraged to cross the road where there is a lollipop person supervising. Schools are a good place to teach children about road safety so that they are aware of the dangers when they are out and about. It’s a good place to start.
It’s a group of elected members or Councillors who come together from all the different boroughs across London. Each borough is entitled to send two Councillors and a road safety officer to represent their borough. Not all boroughs take part but most of them do. We meet four times a year. Sometimes we have speakers who come along to speak about different aspects of road safety that affect London. Last year someone came along to talk to us about Dementia care and road safety which was very interesting. We mainly talk about road safety issues that affect the areas that we work in such as cycling, parking and the operation of buses.
Describe yourself in three words. “Helpful, busy and a coffee lover!”
6 • Helmets can reduce the risk of severe brain injuries by 88 percent...
Did you do cycle proficiency when you were at school? Yes I believe I did but it was a very long time ago. I do remember when I was about 8 or 9 years old having cycle lessons in the school playground and I think it was during the holidays. Afterwards we received a certificate for our achievements.
Taking Steps
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If you have any spare time how do you like to spend it? Do you have any hobbies? I don’t have any hobbies, I don’t do anything with my hands, I don’t make anything or play any instruments. But I do enjoy going around Heritage sites and I like steam trains. At the weekend, when I have time I like to go to railways and look at steam trains. I also like vintage aircraft so I go to air shows. I have always liked those sorts of things even when I was a little girl.
• Which types of articles do you like most in Taking Steps?
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If you could go on a bike ride with anyone who would it be, and why?
I haven’t ridden a bike for a long time because of my bad leg, most of the time I walk. I do have a bicycle but it is stuck in the back of the garage and I haven’t ridden it in about 5 years. If my leg wasn’t as bad as it I would probably cycle more as I do enjoy cycling. My bicycle is a very old fashioned bike with a big basket on the front. What did you want to do when you were younger? I think I wanted to be a writer when I was young; I had a fantasy about writing books. Where is your favourite place in the world and why? I like Yorkshire very much, I like going to Howarth which is a little village in Yorkshire near the Pennines where the Bronte sisters used to live. It’s a lovely place to go to. On the other end of the scale, I like Santa Monica which is near Los Angeles in California. That’s nice if I want to go for a nice warm beach holiday. They are quite extreme places, one place is very sunny and the other
What is your favourite book and why? There are so many great books around. Mine is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel which is a fabulous book and I can’t wait to read the next one. It is all about Thomas Cromwell and Tudor England. Who is your hero, and why? I don’t really have any heroes. I couldn’t identify one person. People who are heroes to me are people who work in the community and run organisations like the scouts and guides. They do this free of charge to give others opportunities and make things better for other people. I think they are the real heroes.
Look out for our next issue – a bumper e dition! Coming Sp ring/ Summer
2017!
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Your Details Name:
Age: School:
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Do you ride a bike?
I think I would have to say James Cracknell, he is the President of the London Road Safety Council. He is very keen on safe cycling so if I went out on a bike ride with him I am sure I would pick up some good tips. He is also a very cool guy, but I don’t think I would be able to keep up with him.
October 16 • ...yet only 45 percent of children 14 and under usually wear a bike helmet.
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Two Tours One Goal!
Cycling Events in 2017! The Big Pedal – March/April
The Tour de France is an annual multiple stage bicycle race mostly held in France, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. The race was first organized in 1903 to increase paper sales for the magazine L’Auto. The race has been held annually since 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. Participation expanded from French cyclists, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI World Teams, with the exception of the teams that the organisers invite. In the Tour of Britan the number of teams usually varies between 20 and 22, with nine riders in each. The rider with the lowest time is the leader of the race and gets to wear the popular
The Big Pedal is the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge. It inspires pupils, staff and parents to choose two wheels for their journey to school.
yellow jersey. The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the Second World War, since then various different events have been described as the Tour of Britain, include the Milk Race, the Kellogg’s Tour of Britain and the PruTour. The current version of the Tour of Britain began in 2004 and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.
Last April, schools recorded over one million journeys by bike and scooter in just two weeks! Be prepared this year for another cycling challenge! Why not take part this year – to find out more information visit www.sustrans.org.uk
Bike Week – June Bike Week is a fun, yearly event aiming to show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life! This summer, hop on your bike and plan your journeys by cycle to prove just how fun, healthy and good for the environment biking can be! Get involved by visiting www.bikeweek.org.uk
Cycle to Work Day – September Parents and Teachers can join in on the fun too! Every September, Cycle to Work Day encourages people to scrap the car and take two wheels to work. Find out more information by visiting www.cycletoworkday.org
Tips for cycling to school
The Famous ‘Yellow Jersey’
8 • Tandem bicycles are made to be ridden by two or more people.
•C ycle safe – Wear a helmet. Make sure it fits properly before you leave home •B right is right –Wear something bright so other people can see you. Fluorescent and reflective is best •U se your eyes and ears – Always look out for pedestrians, vehicles and obstacles. Slow down if it’s wet
Taking Steps
isit V o t s e Plac
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e g d i r b e r t Red n e C g n i l c y C As part of our Broadford Primary cycling curriculum, we take our Year 5 & 6 pupils to the Redbridge Cycle Centre to further develop their skills. Redbridge Cycling Centre is a facility where pupils are able to further develop budding cyclists. The track allows all abilities to improve their skills. Once they have achieved Bikeability Level 2, it is important that the children get the chance to use the skills they have learnt and apply them in increasingly challenging situations. The Redbridge track is a 2km long circuit, which requires children to be competent at using their gears and brakes on very tough gradients. Once they have explored the course, they then have to complete some challenges which test their balance and control of the bike when it is moving slowly. Thanks to the centre’s large stock of hire bikes including mountain bikes, road bikes & BMXs, schools don’t have to worry about the pupils not having the right equipment. Finally there is the chance to finish with a time trial event to see who can set the fastest time for a section of the course!
Here are some of the quotes from the pupils: “I was really confident that I would find this easy, as I coped well with the Bikeability. However the slopes were sooooooo steep! When I first tried to cycle down one I got off and walked my bike as I was very nervous. After Mr Drakes gave me some encouragement I tried again and made it... without falling off.” Sophie Adams
“Cycling with just one hand on the handle bars was tough. I always thought that going fast was the main challenge, but it is so hard to control the bike when it is hardly moving. It really helped me improve and focus on my balance.” Holly Clark
“When it came to the time trial I was really excited. It meant we had to be really fit as you couldn’t stop pedalling for a second if you wanted to get a good time. Because we had practiced our use of gears, I was able to keep going up the slope and not lose any time.” Mason Lepley “It is a long way round to cycle a whole lap and there are at least two steep hills. If you don’t persevere it is very easy to give up and have a rest.“ Isaac Wright If you would like book a trip to the Redbridge Cycling Centre please contact Ian Coles centre manager at icoles@vision-rcl.org.uk Katherine and Melissa, Broadford Primary.
“The hill was so steep! At the start of the session we had practised changing gears and how to get up inclines. It meant I did it without having to stop!” Kie Purse
October 16 • There are over one billion bicycles found throughout the world.
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Get on your bike to work... When it comes to jobs that you can do using your bike, there are quite a few. Some of these are quite normal, while others border on the strangest jobs ever. One common factor links all the jobs out there in the world today that involve bikes though: they are among the most interesting ever. Bike Messenger/Bike Courier This is definitely one of the most common cycling jobs in the cities. Bike messengers are a common sight in places like capital cities around the world, where the delivery of important packages in a certain time frame would simply take too long in a car. Biker Advertising This is a growing trend in the world. It is a very green method of advertising companies and products, as well as catching more eyes and turning more heads than a typical billboard would. Bike Fishing It doesn’t get any stranger than this. While this job doesn’t actually involve riding a bike, it is definitely one of the most alternative cycle-related jobs anywhere. Over 150,00 bikes are thrown into the canals of Amsterdam here every year! Nobody knows why it happens, it just does. There is a group of people who are paid to patrol the canals in their barges, with a crane attached to the back of the barge. What they do all day is hunt for bicycles in the canal with the crane! Mobile Laundry Bikers Think you’ve seen it all? Think again. These people are some of the most innovative cyclists out there. With all the buzz about cleaning the climate, there is a lot of pressure on things like mobile laundries to cease and desist with their petrol vans. The solution? Bikes. Mobile laundry companies usually work best in cities, and make use of cyclists on cargo bikes. These people go on their rounds collecting dirty laundry from their many customers’ homes. Bicycle Movers In Sweden cyclists focus on using bike trailers and cargo bikes to move furniture to and from homes that are a short distance away.
Bike Tour Guide This is a job for any biker with free time on their hands. If you know your local area really well, along with all the nearest spots to eat and drink, then you should sign up to be a bike tour guide. Ambulance Bike Teams St. John Ambulance is one of the first to implement cyclists as part of their quick response team. This elite group of individuals are usually the first on the scene when there is an emergency involving a lot of congestion. Police Bike Team This is something you may have seen in and around busy city streets and parks. Instead of having to be stuck in traffic on patrol, police officers are being issued with bicycles for their beat. The bikes are sometimes electric, but usually pedal-powered. They are used for a wide variety of reasons, with one of the biggest being that police officers on bikes promote the image that the local authority is going green with law enforcement as well. Bike Paper Round This is a job that has been around for decades. Back in the day, it was one of the most popular bike jobs for kids aged ten and upwards looking for some extra pocket money. Now, it is still quite common in small towns. Rickshaw Driver Have you seen a rickshaw before? It is basically a massive type of cargo bike, with room for seating up to three passengers in the back, many operate in Central London. Which job would you like? Written by: Katherine and Melissa, Broadford Primary.
10 • There are over one billion bicycles found throughout the world.
Taking Steps
Check your bike - The M Check The M Check starts at the back tyre, then to the seat, down to the pedal, back up to the handle bars and down to the front tyre. When you’ve finished your check if you work it out it will equal an M, that’s where the name comes from. When you check the tyres press down
with your thumb to see if it’s suitable to ride on. Go down to the pedal and spin it forward to make sure it moves easily, this checks the chain. Now up to the handle bars, turn them slightly to make sure you can turn. Then to check the brakes hold your left brake down and lift up the front
tyre slightly and check the back wheel doesn’t move, then do the same with the right brake, but lift up the back wheel slightly and check the front wheel doesn’t move. Do the same as the back wheel and you’re set to go. Isabel and Gracie, Branfil Primary.
Follow the strokes of the M to make sure you don’t miss anything!
October 16 • Bicycles typically use a chain to transmit power to the rear wheel
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Public cycling event
The Tweed Run is a metropolitan bike ride with a bit of style. The ride takes to the streets in our wellpressed best, and cycle through the city’s iconic landmarks. On the tweed run they usually end with a bit of a jolly knees-up. Tickets to the Tweed Run are £25, which includes a £5 donation to the London Cycling Campaign. If you go on the tweed run you will pass some of London’s finest landmarks, making stops along the way for a spot of tea in a fine square, a picnic break in the park, and ending up at a beautiful Art Deco ballroom for a drink.
This Cycle Challenge is an annual challenge like no other through the closed roads of London and Surrey Hills. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to cycle the streets of London without traffic and with masses of spectators. This year it’s hoped to have over 400 cyclists participating. Every member of the team receives a welcome pack to help with their training and fundraising, as well as regular newsletter with updates and team news. There will be a training day in the lead up to the event at the Herne Hill Velodrome, especially for our Ride LondonSurrey 100 team. There are cheering points and postrace refreshments and massage therapists on race day to make the experience one to remember! There are lots of public cycling events to participate. They are fun and are healthy. You can also raise money for charity which is great! Written by Keira, Crowlands Primary.
Games - Complete the wordsearch below Words to find: BICYCLE HIGHWAY BIKE SAFETY RIDE LANE BELL
Remember to always wear your cycle helmet! Can you count how many cycle helmets you can see throughout this magazine 10, 20, 40 or more??? Please send your answers with your name, age and school to danni.sewell@havering.gov.uk
Wordsearch made from www.atozteacherstuff.com
The longest tandem bicycle seated 35 people and was 67 feet long.
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