The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Trishaw rides to help older folk get about
Elderly and disabled people in Monifieth will have a new way to get outside and enjoy fresh air thanks to a trishaw bike ride service which launches tomorrow.
Cycling Without Age Scotland (CWAS), Monifieth, is a new charity which has been set up in the Angus town to help to ensure everyone in the community has access to the great outdoors.
The group uses a special trishaw bike to take people on leisurely cycles along
Monifieth’s waterfront, with plenty of time to stop and admire the views and enjoy a blether.
Monifieth chapter captain Pauline Cameron set up the group with colleague Gail Hill and says it is all about making sure everyone in the community feels connected.
She said: “I was at a befriending network conference in 2019 when I first heard about trishaws and thought that this would be a good project for Monifieth.
“Working with the befrienders makes me very aware of the amount of people within the community who have little or no social contact and can go for days without speaking to anyone.
“We hope it will make people feel more connected to their community and give those who are housebound or disabled the same opportunity to feel the wind in their hair and the sun on their face.”
Cycling Without Age started in Denmark in 2012
when founders Ole Kassow and Dorthe Pedersen began taking older people in the area out for bike rides.
Their simple idea very quickly grew into an international movement, with hundreds of local groups, or chapters, being set up.
The Monifieth chapter will be the 54th in Scotland, and has already attracted
support from locals – so much so that it has just received confirmation that its fundraising will allow the purchase of a second trishaw.
The group will be joined by Ray Burr, the operations and development officer from Cycling Without Age Scotland headquarters in Larbert, for tomorrow morning’s launch.
Visitors will be able to learn more about the service or even volunteer to join the chapter’s band of volunteer “pilots”.
Tomorrow’s launch is at Marine Drive, near the Blue Seaway park, from 10am.
Phone 07726 458427 or email cwasmonifiethchapter1@gmail.com