Cycling Without Age Eastern BOP ready to roll thanks to Trust Horizon grant

Newly established charitable organisation, Cycling Without Age Eastern Bay of Plenty, will soon be rolling out their plan to mobilise low mobility residents thanks to a $24,335 grant from Trust Horizon.

The funds are going towards the purchase of an electric trishaw, a bicycle with an open carriage attached for carrying passengers.

Cycling Without Age is a global movement that originated in Denmark in 2012 when founder, Ole Kassow, sought to find a solution to getting elders back on their bikes. The answer was a trishaw, which he used to provide free bike rides to local nursing home residents. Now, there are affiliate Cycling Without Age chapters all around the world, including Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The not-for-profit’s mission is to provide free recreational cycling outings for older, low mobility, or socially isolated residents. One of its many benefits is giving people who may have barriers to accessing their environment the opportunity to be an active part of their local community.

President of Cycling Without Age Eastern Bay of Plenty, Maureen Verstegen, says, “For some elderly or people with disabilities, it can be difficult to get out in the fresh air. They might have lived here their whole lives, but not seen the river in years.”

An avid cyclist herself, Maureen knows the joy of being on a bike. “A few years ago, I started up a cycling group, The Non-Olympic Cyclists. It’s all about socialising, and almost always ends with coffee and cake. I realised a lot of people can’t do this and wanted to make the experience more accessible.”

Cycling Without Age is all about slow travel: “Taking time to enjoy nature, feeling the wind in their hair, meeting people and sharing stories, and maybe even stopping for a coffee,” says Maureen.

Trust Horizon believes Cycling Without Age will strengthen relationships within the community.

“It is a wonderful initiative that promotes social inclusion of all, irrespective of age,” says Trust Horizon Chairman, David Glover.

Maureen says the project would not have been possible without the funding from Trust Horizon.

“We are really grateful to Trust Horizon for granting us this money. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to get off the ground. We would have had to run a lot of sausage sizzles to even get the bike to New Zealand! It’s just fantastic.”

Read more about our Trust Horizon grants process here.