Stanley Town Council is putting on a cycle ride for the
whole family this spring.
With help of Sustrans and the Durham Big Ride the event
will be encouraging all levels of cyclists to dust off their bikes from the
garage and get on them to see the great routes that are on the Towns doorstep.
The event, on Sunday May 1, is a way of celebrating the
opening of a new link route from the C2C route into Stanley town centre and
also the ideal time to see the best of the countryside around the Stanley area.
“The event is a great way to mark the refurbishment of the C2C pathway”. Said
Joan Nicholson, Chair of Stanley Town Council, “It is a wonderful facility which
should be used as much as possible. Our
event will only use a small part that is close to the Town but the route is
such a wonderful ‘highway’ to some of the best countryside around.”
She continued, “We want to get people of all ages out on
their bikes and use the routes and get a little fitter into the bargain. It is a ‘win – win’ situation for all
concerned.’
For the initial event two routes are planned both starting
and finishing in the towns Oakey park: A 20 mile ride to Cox Green, just
outside of Sunderland and for the little ones a nice ride to Beamish Museum car
park with a little rest before going back to Oakey park.
Gina Clarke, Network Manager from Sustrans welcomes the
idea of even more people using the pathways that are already very popular with
commuters and leisure cyclists alike:
“Our aim at Sustrans is to encourage everyone to use
cleaner, cheaper and healthier ways of getting around. These scenic traffic
free paths provide a safe, enjoyable route to the shops, to school or to work
for both walkers and cyclists. “Our team work hard to maintain this section of
the National Cycle Network from Consett to Washington. We are looking forward
to the event bringing new people to the C2C, giving the next generation of
cyclists the opportunity to experience the route for themselves.”
Costs to be a part of the first Stanley Family CYCLE are
£15 for adults and £7 for under 14 with a family ticket available with all
finishers getting a quality T shirt and goodie bag.
For more information, please see the facebook site: Stanley
Family Cycle.
