Wokingham Borough Connect
We all need to play our part to reduce carbon emissions across the borough, and to thank you for doing your bit, we’ve teamed up with Innovation Valley. By logging any journeys not made by car, you will see your points add up, which you can then exchange for rewards from your favourite high street shops or you can donate your rewards to your favourite charity.
Why not download the free Innovation Valley Rewards smartphone app, then take part in a local challenge promoted by our My Journey Wokingham team, as part of an ongoing effort to encourage healthier and greener forms of travel.
 Love to Ride Wokingham
The last few years we have tried various methods of engaging the community to travel more actively. One of our longest standing platforms has been with Love to Ride Wokingham and it has been a rollercoaster of a few years. With Covid, lockdowns and working from home, it's been almost impossible to tell true participation levels until recently.
May's Bike Month Challenge has been the most successful yet and, at the time of writing, we have exceeded all previous challenges and it isn’t over yet! We are aiming big for Cycle September, we know that nearly 6,300 of you participated in the six week Beat the Street game, can you do the same for one month of Cycle September?
Love to Ride Wokingham is for ages over 13+ We want our secondary schools, university, student unions, doctors surgeries, libraries, businesses, town and parish council, religious groups and community groups joining in.
We are laying down the gauntlet Wokingham, you’ve shown us you love a good competition, will it be you who wins?
Read more on our website to find out about the outcomes of Cycle September 2021.
 Schools
Wokingham Pupils Step Out for Walk to School Week
Pupils from 34 schools across Wokingham Borough walked, cycled and scooted to school during Walk to School Week (16-20 May). The week is intended to highlight the benefits of active travel to school.
Participating schools were given resources to help promote the event, including wall charts, stickers, activity booklets and bookmarks. Each year, Walk to School Week is based on a theme, and this year’s theme was Power Up. The activity booklet included an activity every day linked to this theme and highlighting a separate aspect of it: Team up; Defeat Danger, Lead The Way.
The school travel officer also delivered assemblies at ten schools to launch the event and encourage pupils to take part.
Bikeability Cycle Training at the Piggott School
Avanti Cycling recently ran Bikeability cycle training courses for 52 pupils in Year 7 at the Piggott School (courses were funded by the council’s Bikeability grant). All of these students had missed out on Bikeability training at their primary schools last year, due to the Covid 19 pandemic. We are very grateful to the Piggott School (particularly the Head of Year 7) for allowing these students to take part in Bikeability training during the school day. The course teaches them how to ride on the roads, negotiate junctions and cycle confidently in traffic and we hope that this will encourage more pupils to cycle to school independently in the future.
Air Quality
Teacher's Climate Summit on 8 July at Holme Grange Independent School
Wokingham Borough Council are inviting Head Teachers and a passionate staff member from every school in the borough to attend a Teacher’s Climate Summit on the afternoon of Friday 8 July 2022 at Holme Grange Independent School, Wokingham. This event is a great opportunity for Head Teachers and Educators to come together and explore the options that are available in addressing climate change and adopting more sustainable practices.
My Journey's Air Quality Officer will be attending the summit. Further information and how to book can be found on our website here.
Air Quality Workshops
Our Active Travel Officer for air quality has been delivering science-based workshops with air quality schools using the new hand held pollution monitors, which measure nitrogen dioxide.
During the workshops, Year 5 pupils at several air quality schools measured nitrogen dioxide at peak drop off times, when nitrogen dioxide levels are high and then at different locations around the school site once the peak rush hour was over. They also learnt that most air pollution in the borough is coming from transport and using active travel to get to and from their school will ease traffic congestion, helping to make the students fit and healthy and reduce air pollution all at the same time.
Summer Cyclocross Races at Dinton Pastures
It was a beautiful sunny evening on 19 May for the first of the series of Cyclocross races at Dinton Pastures, run by Sprockets Cycle Club. There were races of varying distances for both young and older riders, across an undulating course with lovely views over the country park and lakes. A total of 139 riders took part and there are still spaces for the next two events at Dinton Pastures starting at 10.30am on Thursday 2 June (bank holiday) and 16 June (starting at 5.30pm). Further information and how to book can be found here.
Donation of bikes and helmets to Ukrainian Refugees
With 200 Ukrainian refugees coming into the borough, with around half being children, there will be families in need of services and support. As part of the council's team organising what’s required to help, My Journey are sourcing bikes through our bike fleet located in four hubs and our re3 project (recycling bikes from waste management centres). We have arranged for Dr Bike to repair suitable bikes for adults and children and deliver round the borough. We are also providing helmets purchased from Berkshire Cycles at a special price to promote safe cycling as well as offering cycle training where needed.
Wokingham Walk - 8 May
The Wokingham Walk was a great success this year, they had over 400 walkers enjoying the lovely weather and Wokingham Lions Club raised nearly £5k to use in support of local charities!
The My Journey Air Quality Officer was there to congratulate weary walkers at the end of the walk. We brought our electric van Evie along, stuffed full of freebies for walkers, with lots of useful information about walking and cycling routes around the borough. The warm weather meant the My Journey water bottles proved a very popular choice with walkers.
Drivers warned to leave safe gap for cyclists in road safety operation
Motorists on a busy road in Wokingham town were taught a surprise lesson in overtaking cyclists safely thanks to a joint initiative between us and Thames Valley Police.
Those spotted passing too closely, which can put riders’ lives in danger, were pulled over and advised to leave more room in future or risk being fined and getting penalty points on their licence. Our My Journey Wokingham active travel team also offered some education while giving away free cycling-related goodies.
Six motorists were stopped on the morning and the police also checked that their driving licences and motor insurance were valid. Three more were stopped for mobile phone offences while driving and one cyclist was stopped for going through a red light.
Under new rules in the Highway Code, drivers should leave at least 1.5m when passing cyclists - or 2m if either passing above 30mph or at any speed in a long vehicle. Cyclists should also ride at least 0.75m from the nearside kerb where they can.
For more information, visit the official Highway Code website
- Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions (£6) at FBC in Finchampstead (Wednesdays) and Woodford Park Leisure Centre (Thursdays) in Woodley
- FREE Balance Bike Clubs both at FBC (Wednesdays) and Woodford Park Leisure Centre (Thursdays)
- FREE Bike checks at Lower Earley Family Fun Day on Saturday 18 June
- Woky Wheels 4 All at FBC in Finchampstead on Thursdays
- Adult Cycle Training for Beginners/Improvers (£6) at Woodford Park Leisure Centre on Saturday mornings
- Drive Start - is for 15 to 19 year olds who are applying for a provisional driving licence and will take place on 28 July. Cost - £20.
Further information and how to book can all be found on our website here.
 Competitions
Find a name for our new smoothie bike
We are looking for a name for our new smoothie bike. Take a look at the picture of the bike on our website - can you think of a good name? The winner will receive a £25 Decathlon voucher! The competition closes on 27 May.
Royal Themed Word Search
To celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, our Community Engagement Team and My Journey have created a royal themed word search for you to do. All the correct entries will be entered into a prize draw. The first three winners will each receive a prize very kindly donated by Tesco. The competition closes on 5 June.
Royal Quiz for Wokingham Borough Schools
We are finalising our latest school competition which will be based on royals and different modes of travel. The first three correct entries will each win a Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen 2022 UK Uncirculated Coin in a presentation pack.
Full details of all the competitions can all be found on our website here.
 Upcoming Events
Bikeability Level 1/2 - 30 and 31 May
Bikeability Level 1 and 2 course is for children who are competent cyclists in Years 5 and 6. The course will be held at Jocks Lane Recreation Ground, Binfield Road, Binfield, cost £20.
Further details and how to book can be found on Avanti's website here.
Summer Cyclocross - 2 and 16 June
Summer Cyclocross consists of fun twisting parkland courses that are accessible to all. Mountain bikes are more than welcome and are encouraged for new riders. The next events at Dinton Pastures Country Park near Hurst are on 2 and 16 June.
My Journey is supporting the event at Dinton Pastures and has donated some rewards for riders. Further information can be found here.
Women's cycling skills for Bike Week - 10 June
Not ridden a bike for a long time and lost your confidence? This FREE session is suitable for beginners who can ride a bike or women who have not cycled for a long time and need to improve their skills and confidence. We are running this course as part of Bike Week.
The coaching will include skills such as: starting and stopping safely, bike control/steering and cornering, use of gears, looking behind, signalling and riding in a group.
Full details and how to book can be found on our website.
Three Counties Cycle Ride - 12 June
A fun day of cycling for families and friends on 12 June 2022. There are three routes - 15, 33 and 54 miles - through the picturesque countryside of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Registration is now open on 3CRR's website along with full details of all the routes.
Wokingham Bikeathon - 26 June
Wokingham Bikeathon will be taking place this year on Sunday 26 June at Cantley Park, Wokingham. My Journey Wokingham is proud to be sponsoring the medals at this year’s Bikeathon, so that all children under 12 who take part will receive a free medal. This year, the Bikeathon will be introducing a fully biodegradable, plastic-free medal, which is embedded with wildflower seeds which you can plant afterwards.
See further details and link for registration here: Wokingham Bikeathon
Electric Bike Event - 26 June
My Journey in partnership with Wokingham Town Council are running an electric bike event on Sunday 26 June at Cantley Park, Wokingham.
To try out an electric bike (e-bike) between 10am and 11.30am you must book a place here. After 11.30am you can just turn up and try an e-bike - maybe after you've taken part in the Wokingham Bikeathon!
The e-bikes have been very kindly provided by Velospeed and AW Cycles).
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