Bike It in Lincolnshire
Vincent Gibson - Bike It officer
Contact Vince:Bike It officer, 4th Floor, City Hall, Beaumont Fee, Lincoln, LN1 1DN
Tel: 01522 553038, mobile 07799 065050 or email: vincent.gibson@sustrans.org.uk
Vincent joined the Bike It project in January 2008
"I'm an environmentalist. I think it comes from the fact that as a child I was fascinated by native Americans. It turns out that all native cultures care deeply for their environment - if they didn't, they would have died out. Now I see myself as one of those natives and you're one, too.
Cycling is a really simple way to care for our environment and the solution to so many of today's headline problems, turning the tide on global warming, reducing congestion, tackling obesity, cutting air pollution... it's fun and everyone should do it.
I used to cycle about 5 miles to school and 5 miles home everyday. The sense of independence and freedom this offered was brilliant. I remember being unfussed about having to cycle home at dinnertime to get my PE kit! I love being out and about and think that stuff about "getting kids off the street" is nonsense. Get out there, everybody! It's your world so go and enjoy it, get your friends and have some fun.
Going from primary to secondary school is a crucial stage in the development of young people and it's essential to get good habits and get them to stick. Healthy everyday exercise can help people grow to an old age free of many of the more common complaints, so if I can help some young people learn that, I'll die a happy man."
Before joining the Bike It team, Vincent was a School Travel Advisor, encouraging the parents of Lincoln to leave their cars at home for the school journey. He also used to run a scuba diving centre, and before that he "crawled around dusty, cramped spider-filled attic spaces installing computer networks."
Vincent's schools for 2010/11:
- Cherry Willingham Primary School
- Ermine Primary School
- Gainsborough Benjamin Adlard Community School
- Lincoln Birchwood Junior School
- Millfield Community Primary School
- Priory Witham Academy
- The Chad Varah Primary School
- The Meadows Primary School
- The North Hykeham All Saints CE Primary School
- Washingborough Primary School
- William Farr CE Comprehensive School
What's Vincent up to?
Spring clean your bike; the Big Pedal; Bike to School Week; Science Friction cycling lessons; Bike Raffles; Bike rides...a week in the life of a Bike It officer! What an amazing time we're having in 2011. Washingborough Primary propelled themselves to Regional Winners in the national Big Pedal competition and have already found a home and a contractor to kit out a dedicated bike workshop. This will enable extended learning and take Bike It further than ever before. This year's Lincoln Action Day was real success with great presentations by Eleasha, Alistair, and Mr Moody. 16 people enjoyed an afternoon ride around the waterways of Lincoln and returned to compete in a puncture repair race. Teachers are a competitive lot aren't they? This summer term, we're excited about the Lincoln Grand Prix, the Lincolnshire Show and some new Bike It schools. My tyres are pumped, bottles are caged, momentum is building, head down, hair trailing in the wind. Let's pedal on and continue to change the world into the place our children deserve.
Want to be a Bike It school? Get in touch!