Olympic gold medallist Denise Lewis today launched a campaign to recruit British mothers as cycling instructors.
Some 150,000 children have already received Bikeability training – the modern equivalent of the cycling proficiency test – and the aim is to increase this to 500,000 by 2010.
This will require more than 1,000 new instructors, and Cycling England reckon this would be an ideal role for women returning to work after having children.
Qualified instructors can work flexible hours and earn up to £20,000 a year. Instructor training takes place across the country, and can take as little as four days to complete. Bursaries of £300 are available which effectively halve the cost
Athlete Denise, who has three children, said: “This is about cycling skills for all children but, who knows, it might just help inspire Olympic cycling champions of the future too.”
Research from Cycling England shows that 81 percent of parents are reluctant to let their children cycle on their own. It is hoped Bikeability will change this.
While one in three parents (35 percent) was allowed to cycle to school, only one in five (18 percent) allows their children to ever do so today – and just four percent of children actually cycle to school regularly.
To find out more about being a cycling instructor, visit www.bikeability.org.uk/professionals.
