SECAD staff moved their fortnightly staff meeting onto 2 wheels this week for Bike Week. Staff meetings mainly take place online so it was a great opportunity for everyone to meet in person. Over twenty staff members took part and it provided the opportunity to get back on the saddle for the people who haven’t cycled for a while or even since they were a child and needed a refresher.
We applied for funding through Cork Sports Partnership and then linked with Fiona O Driscoll of Midleton Greenway Bikes & Bites for bike hire. On the day, Midleton Greenway provided a selection of bikes for staff to try out under the guidance of experienced cycle instructors. Fiona, joined by Jamie Roberts, gave a really good introduction to cycling and everyone picked up some hints regardless of their cycling experience. The bikes included hybrid and e bikes so anyone interested in getting their own e bike was able to take one out for a good road test.
Midleton FC allowed us to use their car park for the training and afterwards, staff could choose whether to practice some more before heading out on the road. Most opted to head out on a 5 mile rural scenic route which is the same route for the Midleton AC 5 mile annual road race. This took us past the Gaelscoil, Castle Rock housing estate, and then towards Ahenesk and passing Ballyannan Castle enroute back into Midleton.
It was a fun morning for all and everyone got to experience the freedom, joy and health benefits of cycling and also meeting our colleagues in person. We would like to give special thanks to James Kirby of Cork Sports Partnership for all his support and the Bike Week merchandise.
Our aim in taking part in Cork Bike Week was to bring staff together outdoors for physical activity, to encourage active commuting to & from work and using the bike instead of the car for local meetings and at lunch time. As an organisation, we encourage using a bike instead of the car and plan to have SECAD company bikes available for staff to use instead of taking the car for local trips.
