Thanks to funding from the Active Travel Capability Fund, Nottingham City Council, in partnership with Sustrans, are helping jobseekers in Nottingham by providing travel assistance and free refurbished bikes. The bikes and support are intended to help give jobseekers the skills and confidence to use the bike to travel to job interviews, work, training, education, or volunteering opportunities.

Jobseekers can receive advice on how to maintain their bike and ride it safely. In addition, participants get to keep the bikes permanently, allowing them to continue enjoying the physical and mental health benefits of cycling. As part of the offer, jobseekers can get a personalised travel plan showing the cheapest, quickest and most sustainable ways of travelling around the city.

Sustrans has also partnered with Nottingham Bikeworks to deliver fully inspected, refurbished bikes and essential accessories.

As part of the project so far, Sustrans have:

• Spoken to 281 jobseekers at events across the city
• Given out half of the available bikes, with the remaining stock disappearing fast
• Been working closely with 15 community organisations
• Held a successful information and free bike-repair session at Broad Marsh Cycle Park

A participant said: “I had PTSD and was put off work for a while… there was a problem with the circulation in my leg, which meant I couldn’t walk very far, but I cycled on a cycling machine.

“I couldn’t even afford a refurbished bike… I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I’ve got a bike and I can already see myself getting out and about a lot more.”

Sustrans are making it easier for people to walk and cycle . You can follow Sustrans East Midlands on Facebook here.

For more information about the jobseekers scheme, please email [email protected].