A north-east charity has secured funding to make sure that every child in Aberdeen will learn how to ride a bike.
Hundreds of disadvantaged youngsters in the city have never been taught the skill and Sport Aberdeen is now launching a £38,000 project aimed at correcting that.
The charity has pledged to make sure that every 11-year-old in the city will learn how to cycle, having recently undertaken studies which found that children in almost every P7 class in the city had never experienced the activity.
Sport Aberdeen’s director of healthy and active communities, Keith Gerrard, said the Adventure Aberdeen scheme could have long-term health benefits for the area.
Mr Gerrard said: “We are committed to creating opportunities, inspiring people and changing lives.
“Getting children out and on their bikes from an early age is so important to ensure that this practice carries into their adult lives, and helps move Aberdeen towards being the most active city in Scotland.”
The initiative has been made possible courtesy of £20,000 in funding from the Cycling Scotland charity and £18,000 from Aberdeen City Council.
As well as offering lessons to children, the cash injection will allow Sport Aberdeen to promote cycling to community groups and local businesses.
The Cycling Scotland donation will also be put towards a training programme designed to give children the skills and confidence they need to cycle safely on the roads, as well as encouraging them to continue cycling into adulthood.
The charity explained that many schools across Aberdeen struggle to deliver regular cycling lessons due to staff shortages or teachers being unable to give up class time.
The money received from Cycling Scotland will be used to run courses which will enable volunteers to deliver Bikeability Levels 1 and 2 training in schools.