Pompey Pedals appeals for more volunteers so it can continue to help the disabled get some exercise in Alexandra Park

A group which helps the disabled to get some exercise is looking for more volunteers to keep up its valuable work.

Pompey Pedals is part of an initiative started by the government around 15 years ago, which aimed to encourage people of varying disabilities to participate in sport - and in Pompey Pedals case it is cycling.

It looks to provide opportunities for anybody who has any form of disability. Pompey Pedals offer the opportunity to come along to ride a bike, a trike, or a quad, whatever the individual is capable of riding. There are solo bikes, as well as two seated bikes for both the individual and their carer if needed.

Running two days a week in Alexandra Park, Pompey Pedals can attract up to 100 different attendees in a session.

The organisation was funded by the government for two years, as planned, before the responsibility of running it was shifted to the local councils. Portsmouth council ran it for a few more years, before it decided it could not continue with the funding. The charity Pompey in the Community stepped in and took over, and now provides all the financial backing. This means the scheme is run solely by volunteers.

David Bradley, project leader of the Pompey Pedals, says that the effect that this volunteer-run scheme has on people’s lives is “massive.” It provides independence, and enjoyment, as well as “a sense of freedom.”

According to David, the club attracts people who struggle to move freely and in the way they choose. This includes people with physical disabilities, people with learning disabilities, people who are recovering from strokes, elderly people who feel unsafe cycling in other, busier places, as well as any carers, parents or teachers. This club allows another possibility of movement and ability to control what they do.

He said that the significance of the freedom and opportunity the Pompey Pedals provide, saying: “These people would never take a bike out normally, because they couldn’t.”

However, under the club, those who attend are able to enjoy the experience of riding a bike in a safe way adapted to an individual’s needs.

When asked about the impact the club has on attendees’ lives, David said: “Some people come in with disabilities and at first, they can hardly figure out how to pedal. And then they learn and improve. To us it might seem small, but for those who struggling with everyday tasks, it can be massive and so rewarding.”

The project leader also stresses the importance of volunteers who are appropriate to the organisation. David says that, although you don’t have to be able to ride a bike, the organisation does need “people who have people experience, people who’ve spent a working life dealing with people in all sorts of categories.”

He added: “Because of the nature of the volunteers, the people I have working here with me are all interesting people, nice people, and you get to meet people who are a bit different”

Pompey Pedals needs “available and consistent people who are willing to commit.” David said that the presence of volunteers within the charity-run organisation is “critical. No volunteers, no scheme.”

When asked how his experience within the club has affected him, and how volunteering has impacted his life, David claims that, although he “never intended to do it,” the experience as changed his life “massively”.

The project leader was still working his regular job when he began volunteering for the organisation. After a devastating accident at work left him unable to continue working, David began working for the Pompey Pedals full time, claiming it to be “a wonderful transition.” He says by joining the club and assisting where he could, he “wasn’t at a loose end.”

David has worked at Pompey Pedals, becoming the project leader despite never intending for it to be that way, for around 13-14 years, and said: “without it, I think I’d be lost.”