CyclAbility March 2025 newsletter
- jansong
- Mar 28
- 3 min read
Spring is finally in the air; we’re seeing more people coming along and enjoying glimpses of sunshine! Read on for information on:
No parking in top car park next week
Making bookings, including on the day
Opportunity to reserve a regular weekly slot with standing order
Supporting carers and supporters to ride
Session guidelines and taking of photos/video
Advance notice of special events coming up
Top car park closed Tues 1st April and Fri 4th April
There's an annual external event in the grounds which uses the upper car park, so it's not available for our use next week. Therefore could you please park in the lower car park, and walk up via the entrance half way up the lane (we'll put signs out). If this isn't manageable for mobility or other access reasons, you can drop off at the top gate and repark, as long as there is someone to be with the participant at all times. Thankyou!
Bookings available to end of May
Sessions are now bookable through to the end of May if you want to plan ahead. A reminder that you can always reschedule your session if plans change, as long as you do this at least 48 hours before your booked slot. You'll need to use the email you booked with in order to sign in to the system.
We’re also trialling leaving booking open on the day of the sessions, meaning that if there’s room you can book in on the morning. You will be able to see online if there’s space available. We are getting busier, so it's not guaranteed!
Book a regular weekly slot with a standing order
We’re reopening the opportunity to book a regular recurring slot by taking out a monthly standing order, payable on the first of the month. This gives you a priority booking, which we put into the system for the same time every week, so you don’t need to remember to do it yourself. To set this up or to find out more, please email jennifer@cyclability.org
Supporting carers to ride
Alongside supporting our regular attenders, we have been enjoying welcoming new participants, carers and support people. Over the last few months we’ve been hearing from quite a few carers how much they appreciate the opportunity to get active themselves - sometimes having their first ever experience of cycling! We are always happy to support carers to find something they can ride on to accompany their participant - eg if not familiar with cycling a two-wheeler, they could try a tricycle or a two-wheeler with stabilisers. Just ask our staff and volunteers on the track for guidance. Serah, pictured above, said 'I haven't cycled for 17 years, and was scared to try. But the staff were very supportive and encouraging, I have really enjoyed getting some exercise this morning. I hope to do it again!'
Guidelines and taking photos
As we continue to welcome new participants and new carers/support people, we’d like to remind everyone of our general guidelines; click above to read.
Something to mention in particular concerns taking photos - as part of our safeguarding and safety guidelines, photos/videos are only permitted before or after riding, off the main track, and with no-one else in the picture. Please pass this on to anyone coming to the session who may not have received the newsletter, to enable us to provide a safe environment for everyone. Other than this, mobile phone use is not allowed, except in the case of an emergency. Thankyou for your support.
Save the date - upcoming events
Friday 18th April - Good Friday Easter Fun. Yes, we’re open! Feel free to dress up/bring goodies to share!
Friday 20th June - Bike Oxford - Popular inclusive 'Sportive' at our usual Friday morning session. Set your own cycling challenge and get awarded a medal
Thursday 3rd July - Have a Go Day - Lots of different activities to try at the track in addition to cycling (more info to come nearer the time).
