We’re proud to be one of the founding partners of the GTCT
We’ve all heard of Geraint Thomas and his incredible success on a bike. He has an enviable record of cycling achievement in the Tour de France and other world stage races and throughout Europe both on the road and in many exciting velodromes around the world. As a Welsh-founded company, we wanted to partner with an initiative that had its roots planted in the principality but held aspirations to help a wider cycling community.
Geraint in his own words wanted to put something back into cycling, a sport he picked up as a child that has given him so much. The GTCT isn’t aimed at supporting elite athletes to be more competitive on a bike, moreover, its aim is to introduce cycling to communities that have not experienced the sense of achievement, team spirit and open-mindedness that cycling brings to so many.
When we were asked to be one of the founding partners we were excited at the opportunity. The charitable trust was officially launched earlier this year (2022) and has already rolled out assistance to various community-led projects. Two of these are close to our head office in Wales; one is in Whitchurch Cardiff and the other is in support of adult carers through the Gower Riders Club. The latter provides some structured ‘me time’ to children and young adults who have adult caring responsibilities when they get home from work or usually school. It ensures they get some respite from this huge responsibility by helping carers get on bikes, albeit for a few hours a week, to interact in a new sport and continue some of the essential requirements of having a childhood of play and friendship.
The Whitchurch Cycling Club project enables children and youths from some of the most deprived parts of the UK to have their first experience on a bike, doing stunts, racing; it doesn’t matter. Keeping them off the street from other activities is the purpose of the initiative and the reaction from those attending sessions to date has been very encouraging.
Adrian Coles, Chair of the GTCT at the launch at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff:
“To hear direct from our 1st group of applicants that we have been able to support from Whitchurch Cycling Club, Gower Riders and the Young Carers Association in conjunction with the YMCA Swansea was very humbling. We are making a positive impact and are looking forward to deploying the funds we have raised to date to help more children access any form of bike discipline.
We had a fantastic inaugural fundraising lunch where we were joined by nearly 120 keen supporters who want to make a positive difference to help more children, be able to ride a bike consistently.
We want to thank the Principality Stadium for hosting us on a great afternoon. We also wish to thank our partners – Cycle Solutions, CP Hire and Eversheds for their support in making this event a success.”
To learn more about the charitable work CP Hire does, take a look at one of our recent news articles: Community Lives At The Heart
