The Scottish Government have announced they are to provide official backing to the Cycling Without Age initiative, brought to Scotland by 20-year-old Fraser Johnston.
The MSPs for Falkirk West and Falkirk East, Michael Matheson and Angus MacDonald, have welcomed the news, which will see Cycling Without Age given the support it needs to expand beyond the pilot project in Falkirk, to as many communities across Scotland as possible.
The Cycling Without Age movement began in Denmark and encourages volunteers to take older people for bike rides on comfortable and safe trishaws. The project in Falkirk, along with the project lead Fraser Johnston, from Larbert, have become a viral hit across the world since BBC Three’s Amazing Humans featured them in one of their recent social media videos.
Angus MacDonald MSP, Falkirk East, commented: “It has been great to see Cycling Without Age go from strength to strength over these past few months, and it is down to the hard work and dedication of Fraser and his project partner Christine Bell, that this latest success has come.
“The Scottish Government clearly recognise the importance of this project to the wellbeing of our older people, and the real, positive impact it has the potential to deliver within our communities, and I am absolutely delighted to see that they are willing to give support to Cycling Without Age to ensure that this project is expanded to other communities across Scotland.”
Falkirk West MSP, Michael Matheson, added: “I’ve been following the growth of Cycling Without Age with great interest since Angus and I had the privilege to help launch the project at Carrondale Care Home in March – and its rapid expansion is all thanks to Fraser and Christine’s boundless enthusiasm, which is truly inspirational.
“The difference this project has made to the lives of nursing home residents in Falkirk is obvious to anyone who has seen the trishaws in action – as well as to the millions who watched the BBC Three video – so it’s fantastic news that this initiative is being rolled out nationwide thanks to financial backing from the Scottish Government.”
