By Kathryn McNicoll
Sanctuary Wheels, a project coordinated by Cyclox in partnership with Asylum Welcome and Active Oxfordshire, has been helping refugees throughout the county to gain independence and freedom. The project provides free bikes for all refugees. However, in the past few months the biggest influx, not surprisingly, has been Ukrainians. Here are two of their stories, told by the families supporting them.
By Alison Hill
On Friday 12 August Morrell Avenue became a Quickway. Overnight, double yellow lines were painted on both sides of the road, removing on-road car parking, and a cycle lane has been painted on the uphill side of the road. Whereas in the past you had to weave your way round parked cars and take care to avoid colliding with vehicles sharing the narrow carriageway, it has instantly become much more pleasant to ride up and down this road.
By Andy Chivers and Alison Hill
In June we achieved a long-held ambition and cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats – a distance of 1,030 miles (1,658 km) over 18 days, carrying our luggage in panniers the whole way. Looking back now we are filled with so many good memories.
By John Magrath
What should you do if you meet a horse rider while out cycling? A couple of years ago I highlighted a very good educational campaign about this from Cycling UK and the British Horse Society called “Be Nice, Say Hi!” Basically, you should let the horse rider know you are there.
By Nick Thorn
In the four years I have had it, my Cube e-bike has taken most of the burden of transporting me and my belongings around the city (and sometimes to meetings up to 25 miles away). I live on the edge of Oxford, on Hurst Hill, and the added push of the electric motor makes carrying home a couple of panniers of shopping, or a trip to the pub, an absolute breeze.
By Cllr Dan Levy
Why do we need an active travel champion? What do I do as champion? What are my ambitions are in this role? Although the champion role has no formal powers, I hope I can influence my fellow councillors, the Cabinet, and County Council officers to help people who want to get on their bikes.
By Emily Kerr
Tiffany and Dawn are dinner ladies at a central Oxford primary school. Until this term, they shared a car to travel to work, along with another friend, commuting in to the city from Blackbird Leys. But what they really wanted was to try cycling.
By Kathryn McNicoll
How long have you had your bike? Perhaps 5 years? 10? Well, Jennifer has had her bike for 31 years.
By Annette Pattinson
This May, JoyRiders Oxford celebrated its first year running free, women-only group cycle rides led by trained female volunteers. In that year, we ran 33 rides in and around Oxford with 50 individual participants.
By Kathryn McNicoll
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Cyclox started refurbishing donated bikes to hand out to key workers. This year we were asked by Asylum Welcome if we could do something similar for refugees. The answer was of course: yes!
