Bike It in London

There are currently six Bike It officers working in London. For an overview of how well Bike It is progressing in London, please read the Bike It London Project Review or for a quick round-up, read issue one the monthly Bike It London eNewsletter (Feb 2010 edition).

owen powellOwen Powell, Bike It officer

Contact Owen: Sustrans Bike It officer, 70 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 020 7017 2358, mob: 07825 619712 or email: owen.powell@sustrans.org.uk

Owen joined Sustrans in September 2009

"After six months working part-time as a Bike It officer in London, I've been let loose on my own borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. I've been cycling around London since 2002 and have seen massive changes and improvements since then, and I'm eager to spread the word about how life-enhancing and liberating cycling can be. My post in the borough is funded by the local Primary Care Trust, as more cyclists mean cleaner air, less congestion, and it's great exercise too!"

Before joining Sustrans, Owen worked as a freelance cycling instructor, a comedy director and writer, a transport campaigner and a theatre tour guide. He hopes to bring aspects of all of these jobs to his new role.

Owen's schools in Hammersmith and Fulham for 2009/10:

What's Owen up to?

I'm looking forward to an exciting 2010 and my first full term in Hammersmith and Fulham. I'm in the middle of getting lots of feedback from the schools about the different activities they'd like to do, and I'm hoping there's lots of enthusiasm for maintenance workshops and puncture repair sessions so that I can get some practice in! I'll also be speaking to children, parents and teachers about how to ride safely and comfortably when it's dark and cold outside.

James Scott - Bike It officer

James ScottContact James: Bike It officer, Sustrans, 70 Cowcross St, London EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 020 7017 2363, or email: james.scott@sustrans.org.uk

James joined Sustrans in September 2008

"I feel really privileged to be part of the Bike It team here in London. Cycling is such an exciting, cheap and accessible way to see the city!  I am the first Primary Care Trust funded Bike It officer in London and can't wait to get my schools energised about cycling and helping them discover that it's a fun and effective way to exercise whilst doing your bit for the planet."

Before joining Sustrans, James worked at the Science Museum on a number of different visitor improvement projects. James' other passion next to cycling is surfing - he has been surfing for around 15 years and is a committee member for the Surfing Museum. James will be working exclusively with the Tower Hamlets Borough and is looking forward to introducing them to Bike It.

James' schools for 2009/10:

What's James doing now?

Jan 2010 will see three Tower Hamlet schools achieve the Bronze Bike It School Mark award. This will be celebrated with all three schools coming together for a Bikers party. Over these cold winter months, James will be concentrating on training his Bike It schools to fix their own punctures, running maintenance courses for parents and making sure as many pupils as possible have the skills to take part in this year's epic Virtual Bike Race.

Felix Hilton - Bike It officer

Felix HiltonContact Felix: Bike It officer, Sustrans, 70 Cowcross St, Farringdon, London EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 0207 0172365, mobile 07787 434 282, or email: felix.hilton@sustrans.org.uk

Felix joined Sustrans in March 2009

"I'm very excited to be joining the Bike It team here in London, and relish the opportunity of being able to bring cycling to as many people as possible. I've been riding on the streets of London for 15 years and I've witnessed the huge growth in bicycle use, however I'm still very aware of the need to increase this number further yet. For the past four years I have been working as a cycling instructor in central London, and I've seen first hand the benefits that cycling can have on children and adults as well as the local community. Cycling is my passion, or possibly obsession, and I'm yet to be convinced there can be a negative side to it."

Felix's schools for 2009/10:

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea:

Lambeth:

Lewisham:

What's Felix doing now?

The first Bike It term has come to an end for all of my new schools and they have done fantastically well. The next term holds many delights, including lots of skills training, classroom workshops and some special racing projects at my secondary schools. We're also all gearing up for the forthcoming Virtual Bike Race. Excellent work Bike It schools!

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Andy Casson - Bike It officer

Andy CassonContact Andy: Bike It officer, Sustrans, 70 Cowcross St, Farringdon, London EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 020 7017 2360, mobile 07796 870 741, or email: andy.casson@sustrans.org.uk

Andy joined Sustrans in May 2006

"Four years on from kick-starting Bike It in London, I still enjoy being a Bike It officer. The project has grown in popularity and I've worked with many schools and encouraged hundreds of children (and some parent and teachers) to ride to school. I enjoy sharing my enthusiasm for cycling with my schools and hope it has a positive and lasting effect.

I have ridden bikes for as long as I can remember, learning on an old fixed-wheel kids bike my dad salvaged from the tip. I completed the old ‘ROSPA' cycling proficiency (now Bikeability) at primary school and later remember renovating an old Sun Workshop racing bike to ride in my teens. After leaving university I got into cross-country mountain biking and have ridden fantastic trails in Epping Forest, Wales, the Lake District, and some epic rides in the French and Swiss Alps. In London my preferred bike is my Brompton, called Ruby, whom all my schools meet at some stage."

Before Sustrans, Andy was a ‘Wild space officer' for Havering Council, and he managed a neighbourhood centre and associated community projects in Tower Hamlets for a housing association. He's also spent many years working on community and conservation projects involving schools, youth groups, the local community and a wide range of other organisations.

Andy's schools for 2009/10: 

What's Andy up to?

As well as the all-important gathering of the ‘hands up surveys', autumn term was packed with activities taking place both in the classroom and for the wider school community. Children were consulted on how they get to school and their reasons for not cycling; many have received sessions on what to wear to keep dry, warm and be seen in winter; others discovered what materials are best seen during the day and the night. A community event was attended at Welling School in Bexley with visitors given the opportunity to test their riding speed on the Rollapaluza track bikes, and a Dr Bike session was run at a Christmas Fete for Benhurst Primary School in Havering, one of our supported Bike It schools.

The national Christmas calendar competition was launched and all Bike It schools were invited to participate. I'm looking forward to the entries from schools in the spring term.

Georgie Fyfe-Jamieson - Bike It officer

Georgie Fyfe-Jamieson

Contact Georgie: Bike It officer, Sustrans, 70 Cowcross St, Farringdon, London EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 020 7017 2362 mobile: 07876 711 618, or email: georgie.fyfe-jamieson@sustrans.org.uk

Georgie joined Sustrans in August 2008

"I love working as a Bike It officer. It's a great combination of practical work with young people and raising awareness of the far-reaching benefits of cycling. Since September 2009 I've been working in the Borough of Westminster. I've worked with children and young people within physical activity and educational development for a while now. As a qualified Level 2 FA football coach I've been fortunate to coach children as close to home as Hackney, and as far away as Mozambique and Melbourne."

Before Sustrans, Georgie worked as a volunteer on camping trips and on bike-building projects with young people, and was also a cycling instructor to both children and adults. She's also worked for Cycle Training UK and the London Cycling Campaign - experience which is proving invaluable in her role as a Bike It officer.

Georgie's schools in Westminster for 2009/10:

What's Georgie up to?

It's been an exciting start for this three-year project in Westminster. The 11 schools I'm working with have really embraced Bike It - and even during the winter months some pupils are realising that it is still best to cycle. Aside from running whole-school Safe and Winter Cycling assemblies, I've also been sharing the benefits of cycling with parents and staff and recruiting and meeting Bike It crews and marshalls. I've also run consultations, Brighten Yourself Up competitions and Dr Bike days. Lots of plans are already in place for spring and summer. There's our national Virtual Bike Race, puncture repair and maintenance sessions, numerous cycling events, playground cycle skills sessions (in addition to Bikeability training) and lots more.

Ali Jafarey - Bike It officer

Ali JafareyContact Ali: Sustrans Bike It officer, 70 Cowcross Street, Farringdon, London, EC1M 6EJ

Tel: 0207 017 2366, or email: ali.jafarey@sustrans.org.uk

Ali joined Sustrans in March 2009

“Personally, this has been a very exciting time to join Sustrans, being a culmination of both my personal and professional ambitions. I am a Londoner born and bred and have seen the city transform substantially since I was a young lad riding around Shepherds Bush on my trike. Then, my street had a handful of cars along the whole length and I knew who owned each one. The same street now is littered with cars bumper to bumper.

My current focus is working with outer London boroughs, particularly in West and South West London. Most recently I have been working as a cycling instructor in schools in Harrow and Hounslow. Prior to this I had been working in the voluntary sector for 12 years, mostly within the Black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. I project managing initiatives supporting young people, older people, and asylum seekers and I have also developed cycling promotion initiatives amongst these groups. London has a great multi-cultural mix. I hope to use my experience of diverse London to encourage more hard to reach and non-traditional cyclists from these communities onto their bikes.”

Ali is taking a new direction for Bike It in London and is looking to work predominantly with Black and Minority Ethnic communities located in the outer London boroughs as from September 2009. Ali, who speaks Hindi and Urdu, already has experience working in these areas as a fully accredited cycling instructor.

Ali's schools for 2009/10:

Hounslow:

Merton:

What's Ali up to?

I have had some fantastic schools to work with this year. They have all welcomed me so warmly, teachers and pupils. In each of the schools I started off doing introduction assemblies, set up the Bike It notice boards, and set termly agendas of activities. Each school now has a crew of six Marshalls who help with Bike It and I have completed Dr Bikes in all the schools so far. I have carried out cycling behaviour consultations with all schools and am planning many more ride-based activities in the spring and summer terms.

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