Wythenshawe Park’s planned cycle hub has received a boost in funding of £1.5m.
The development of the community cycling hub began in late 2021 but has since received an injection of funding from the Places 2 Ride fund following a successful application by Manchester city council.
The Places to Ride programme offered Wythenshawe Park an award of £500k, which was then added to by Manchester city council, giving the scheme a boost of £1.5m.
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The Places to Ride scheme is delivered by a partnership of British Cycling, MCR Active, Sport England and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) while the funding from Manchester city council came through the Parks Development Programme.
Wheels are very much in motion for the new hub which is set to open in summer 2022, following a public consultation which saw more than 1,800 people in support of the scheme.
The development will include a learn to ride area, a skills zone, pump track, woodland trails and a family trail.
The cycling hub will be free to access and the public will be able to book lessons for all abilities.
The hub will also create more opportunities for existing on-site partnerships which serve their community, such as Simply Cycling and Nacro.
The community cycling facility is the latest piece of development to improve the sports facilities at Wythenshawe Park.
It follows the previous investment made to improve the tennis facilities.
Meanwhile, work officers are trying to secure even more funding to improve the sport pitches, changing facilities and athletics track.
It is hoped that this investment in cycling will not only improve the park, but also encourage more people to learn how to cycle or to choose cycling as their mode of transport, as more and more cycle routes are being built and updated around the city.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, executive member for neighbourhoods, said: “This is a brilliant investment from both Manchester City Council and Sport England, via the Places to Ride programme.
“Parks and public spaces are important for local communities and the development of this cycle hub is a great scheme.
“The council are dedicated to encouraging more cycling in and around the city.
“The Wythenshawe Cycling Hub is a good starting point to get more people on their bikes and to help people improve their confidence in a safe area.
“We hope that cyclists of all abilities and ages enjoy the park and the facilities available - I can't wait to go down!”
Robert Pickering, lead cycling delivery manager for the Northwest at British Cycling, said: “British Cycling is delighted, that through the award offer from the Places to Ride programme alongside the joint and significant investment from Manchester City Council, an exciting range of new cycling facilities is being built in Wythenshawe Park, Manchester.”
