Helping older people get on their bikes
A new initiative is being launched soon in St John’s Hospital which sees residents getting back on their bikes through the use of rickshaws.
It’s part of the Cycling Without Age initiative which helps the elderly get back on their bicycles even with limited mobility.
The initiative was launched in Dublin earlier this year and now it’s coming to Sligo.
Local cycling club Innisfree Wheelers are also on board helping out with fundraising for the worthwhile programme.
Melissa Kelly, Director of Nursing at St John’s, explained that the response from staff and residents is extremely positive.
She said: “I first came across it on Nationwide when they were launching it in Dublin.
“I immediately thought it would be great to have something like that here,” she added.
The wheels were then set in motion and planning started on making the rickshaws a reality.
How it works is that two residents will sit on the back of the rickshaw and then a staff member of volunteer will be in charge.
“They will be able to propel the rickshaw but there is also a motor too,” Melissa said.
The main thing is to give older people the chance to get around, most of whom would have cycled when they were younger.
“It’s about bringing residents back into the community and giving them the chance to get around.”
Once the rickshaw arrives, the main areas will be around Sligo town but there are plans to travel further afield too.
“Most of the residents would have grown up around Sligo and it’s also giving them a chance to see the areas where they lived.
“The majority of the population would have used cycling as the main mode of transport and it’s great in that sense too.”
The track at IT Sligo is ideal and so too are scenic parts such as Doorly Park.
“The rickshaw comes with a trailer too and that makes it easier to bring to different locations by attaching it to the hospital bus.
“So once it’s up and running we could bring residents out to places like the Forest Park in Boyle which would be ideal.
“We will bring it out to the likes of Strandhill and Rosses Point too.
“It’s very new and exciting, as far as I know we are the first to introduce it in Connacht.”
The response from residents has been extremely good too.
“The residents here have really bought into the whole idea of the rickshaw,” she added.
There has been various fundraising events being held throughout Sligo to help raise the money needed and they are close to reaching their target.
They still need around €2,000 to get the project up and running.
“It costs €5,500 plus delivery for the standard rickshaw and we also need a trailer.
“The Innisfree Wheelers kindly came on board and selected us as their chosen charity for their ladies cycle around Lough Gill and we are very appreciative of that.
“The club were saying that it was a fantastic idea and said a lot of them will help out as volunteers too.
“The staff here are really looking forward to it as well.
“The whole thing is growing in the UK and it first started in Oslo.
“A worker in a residential unit over there decided to get people back cycling and it’s grown from there.
“There’s a nursing home in Raheny that have two rickshaws and they are working through the Cycling Without Age programme.
“Everyone is really looking forward to it. It’s fantastic because it gets residents back out and about.
“We have €2,000 to go on the money but considering it was only in June when the fundraising started we’re hoping to reach it soon.
“We would love to have the rickshaw around March when the weather starts to brighten up.
“We’ll be having a big launch for it when it happens.” People can donate directly to St John’s, specifically saying it’s for the rickshaw fund.
We would love to have the rickshaws around March when the weather brightens