BSAFE conducts a successful Learn to Ride clinic

On Saturday April 16^th, under sunny skies, with just enough breeze to keep the volunteers and parents cool, BSAFEworked with34 youngsters teaching them how to ride a bicycle.  

By the end of the day we had seen 45 children take part in either the Learn to Ride or safe riding practice.   Thankfully I had some fantastic volunteers; BVICyclists, GarethThomas and Clifton Forbes were great with helping children balance.  The primary way to get a child riding is by following and being their “balance wheels”.  I could not have had such a successful day without Rotaractors Sheriece Smith, Lloyd Duberry and Abbi Christopher, who helped in all areas. 

It was a great family day and there were many cheers and shouts when children got their first solo pedal strokes in.  Many parents were very keen to help when they realized I wanted them too.  Once I showed them the number one tip for teaching, which is “balance the rider not the bike”, they were almost as excited as the kids.  One parent said to me “I did not think it would be this easy to teach my son how to ride.” 

We had mostly 4 to 6 year old children signed up for the “learn to ride” sessions.  BSAFE only owns two bikes small enough for that age group so I had to be careful of how I booked the lessons.   I encouraged some parents to bring their child’s bike which really helped.  At one point in the day I think I had 6 different 3 to 5 year olds having a go in one way or another.  I lost track of how many kids we got riding, but in Gareth’s words “we had a lot of break through moments.”

BSAFEalso organized an area for some of the children who could already ride, but had come along withtheir siblings or cousins who wanted to learn.  I am pleased to say they all showed extremely good behavior and stuck to the rules I set out for them with very little “policing” needed.   Their biggest plea was to find out when I could do something for their abilities. 

I wish I could do more of these clinics. The smiles and laughter coming from a child who has just learned to ride is a great motivator to continue my efforts to bring free cycling safety education to all.

This school year has been extremely difficult because of funding shortfalls brought on by the government’s budget challenges.  BSAFE only continues to exist because of the generous support of private sector sponsors: Caribbean Alliance and its agents Caribbean Insurers, the Rotary Club of Tortola, Burke’s Garage, Ogier and PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Their contributions have been met, but BSAFE is short 50% of its budget to operate so is continually appealing to the private sector to support the program where the government can not at the moment.

If you or your company would like to find out how to support the BSAFE program or arrange a cycling safety weekend visit www.bsafe.vgor contact Chris Ghiorse at 542-1981 or chris@bsafe.vg