The event, jointly organised by Manchester Academy and Refugee Action aimed to give the students a chance to learn about the important of the work Refugee Action does in our community and to promote the idea of a ‘cycling hub’ where bikes can be borrowed by members of the community in Platt Fields.
We took fourteen 6th Form students to meet service users and volunteers at Platt Fields Park at 1pm next to the boating lake. We did some activities with a youth worker called Tammy to get to know each other and to talk about why cycling is important to us.
The students went in small groups with an instructor around the lake for a ride. They were shown how to adjust the bikes/helmets to fit properly. We shared a picnic and talked about our experiences of cycling, living in England and about what Refugee Action does.
We then talked about other cycling activities which Refugee Action run and how the students could get involved. We are planning to get a group together to put in a funding bid for a community bike hub to ensure the bikes which are stored in the park are made available for use by the community.
By Ms Hastings
Manchester Academy