BikeAbility Wales has been supporting people to access and enjoy cycling for over 15 years. We teach children and adults of all ages and abilities to ride and develop confidence and skills. We believe EVERYONE should have the opportunity to experience the fun, fitness and exhilaration of cycling, so we have a range of specially designed cycles suitable for people with all different needs.
We are regularly visited by people with all kinds of disabilities who benefit from our specialist support and equipment, who love getting out into the fresh air and feeling the de-stressing benefits of cycling
We provide road safety training at different levels to ensure that once people are confident on their cycles, they can progress to getting out and about, ideally using cycling as their first choice of transport, supporting a healthy body and a healthy environment.
As well as teaching children to develop skill and confidence on two wheels, changing the lives of so many local families, we support adults who have never tried cycling, and offer companion rides so people who don't yet feel ready to go it alone can enjoy a sociable ride along local cycle paths.
We hire cycles for fun days out in the local area, and we love to offer cycles for special purposes. These are expensive to buy and can be difficult for individuals to store and maintain, so we are proud of the range we offer, and determined to keep BikeAbility running as a thriving charity, continuing to enable everyone to enjoy cycling.
We were delighted and amazed recently to meet James Myles Thomas and his devoted carer Derek Murphy. Both are absolutely inspirational people, who told us a really heart-warming story.
James, aged 26, is blind, cannot use his legs, and, when Derek began working with him 8 years ago, had no use of his right arm either. Thanks to some physiotherapy and effort, James now has more use of his right arm, but his left arm works well - and the pair have been busy putting it to use!
The James Myles Thomas Side-by-Side Initiative is all about James learning new skills and helping others, with Derek alongside him.
Derek, a former chef, has been teaching James to cook; James has achieved his Food Hygiene Certificate and is looking forward to putting these skills in to supporting others, perhaps offering meals at lunch clubs for older people.
They have been out and about enjoying more physical activity, and astonishingly have decided to complete the distances set in the Ironman Challenge!
The triathlon requires completion of a 2.4 mile swim (3.9K), 112 mile cycle (180.2K), and 26.2 mile run (42.2K). James is really enjoying the swimming, which he can do completely independently with the use of a noodle float tucked under his arms. Being unable to run, James's running miles will be made up with additional cycling.
To complete this challenge, Derek needs to purchase a power-assisted twin hand cycle. We at BikeAbility are familiar with this type of cycle, and the company Derek has chosen to buy from - Da Vinci Mobility in Liverpool. The twin hand cycle we have is not power assisted and would be too heavy for Derek and James to use. Derek has already done a lot of fundraising and is well on the way to affording this special cycle, but he and James need your help!
The cycle will enable James to complete the Ironman distances, but after that it will be too large to store, and costly to maintain, so the cycle will be very kindly donated to us here at BikeAbility Wales!
We are bowled over by this generosity, and can't wait to see James complete his triathlon distances. Seeing people with challenges like his making the most of their abilities and achieving goals is part of the spark that got BikeAbility started in the first place.
Our crowdfunding target will secure the bike, not just for James and Derek to use for their adventures this year but for future visitors to BikeAbility to also enjoy. It will also help BikeAbility to really recover from the impacts of the pandemic. Like so many organisations, while we are grateful for the grants and support we received, we have been in a difficult situation with staff, rent and bills to pay but much lower numbers of visitors and paying customers than usual. We know how much BikeAbility is respected and loved by the community here in Swansea and beyond. We know how many families have had their lives changed by the services we provide. We know what a big heart the community here has, and that everyone who hears about James's Side By Side initiative will want to chip in to help both him, and us, keep our wheels spinning!
Read more about James and Derek here:
https://nation.cymru/news/inspirational-duo-undertake-ironman-challenge-to-raise-money-for-bikeability-wales/