What is BMX?
The sport of bicycle motocross began in the early 1970's. A handful of riders started riding their stingray type bikes, off-road, around vacant car parks and in fields. (Stock image)
Not much competion, but stacks of fun. BMX is an exciting sport for everyone, be it racer, recreationally or spectator.
Today, the sport is sweeping the nation and the world. You may have heard of some of it's brightest stars, Bethany Shreiver, Olympic gold medalist and Kye Whyte, Olympic silver medalist. (Stock image)
Most recently, our club has made local headlines, with an Olympic prodigy in our midst;
Kodie Harmer is also destined for stardom, having snagged a coveted spot on Team GBs National School of Racing.
Who are we?
Bideford BMX Club, is a grass roots, voluntarily run, bicycle motocross club. We have been supporting young and the young at heart, aspiring riders, since 1983, to chase their dreams, as well as keeping fit along the way.
The BMX club is run by a group of volunteers, who offer their time and dedication to maintain the track and coach the next generation of BMX champions.
Bideford BMX Club is home to Rebecca Gohl, one of the clubs young at heart riders.
Rebecca is internationally recognised for her dedication and skill. This is reflected in her last years achievements alone.
Rebecca is currently running 'beginner' coaching classes and this is drawing in more and more young and inspired riders, who don't always have thier own bike.
Why are we crowdfunding?
The club is fortunate enough to receive sponsorship from some local companies, but we still need vital funds to make sure we have the equipment needed for those eager new athletes to practise and learn those essential skills on.
BMX can be a great way to get outdoors and to keep fit, without it being a chore. It's fun, it's fast, it's adrenaline fuelled and it gets those feel good endorphins flowing.
How we’ll spend the money raised.
We will use any donations to fund the purchase of new bikes, which will be used to introduce new riders into the sport. We are hoping to purchase at least three new bikes, in sizes Mini, Junior and Expert. These will be for riders aged five to 12 years old, and if funding allows, an expert XL for teenage riders.
Community impact
The BMX club can be found at the heart of East-the-water in Bideford, North Devon, just behind Pollyfield social club.
BMX is a healthy, family friendly, community-oriented activity which improves the skills and confidence of all those who participate.
If you can ride a bike, without stabilisers, then the track is the perfect safe space to have fun and enjoy a bike ride.
Our volunteers are DBS checked and first aid trained, should any little bumps and scrapes happen.
To maintain our free two hour 'taster' session, we need the new bikes to start these new athletes on their journey from just simply having fun, to world wide competition.
What ever the dream, we as a BMX community, want to help get these new riders on the right path, with access to the right equipment, to make the dream, a reality.
Testimonial.
Colleen, parent and registered nurse;
Archie is 10 years old. He was a very shy and nervous, 8 year old when we first took him to Bideford bmx club. Archie was warmly welcomed into the club encouraged to ride and eventually race. He is now, an outgoing 10 year old, who races regionally and nationally for the club. He has made good friends and lifelong memories along the way.This has all been possible because of the support he has had from Bideford bmx club
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
Enter custom amount at the tip slider 😉
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!