Essex Pedal Power

Essex Pedal Power launched in Clacton and Jaywick in June 2021, and over 1,450 bikes have already been distributed, out of a total of 1,526. Friendships have formed, communities have strengthened, and the project has become so much more than just a free bike scheme. Weight loss, increase in physical activity levels and improved mental health are just several additional benefits as stated by recipients.

In addition, there is a quality wrap around support for all residents who receive a bike, including free learn to ride sessions, bike maintenance and led bike rides. The programme is also significantly supporting Essex’s climate change agenda, with cyclists reporting that since receiving their bike, they use their car 3 times less a week on average.

Read the full Clacton and Jaywick Sands report here.

Three years of Essex Pedal Power in Clacton and Jaywick Sands was celebrated in the summer and featured a variety of activities to bring the community together.

Additional events took place throughout the year such as led rides, a trip to Alton Waters, charity coffee mornings and the 1,000^th bike giveaway milestone. Volunteer numbers continue to grow and providing meaningful work experience has helped to upskill and empower local young people. A strong sense of community has been built in Clacton and Jaywick, and events and training sessions like this are set to continue in 2025/26 in phase two of the project.

Essex Pedal Power in Clacton and Jaywick has created links with schools and the healthcare system to further the offer of accessing a bike. 168 bikes have been gifted to children so far, giving them a chance to learn to ride a bike with Bikeability instructors and equip them with a lifelong skill. Bikes have also been allocated to social prescribers in the area, providing them with a method of transport whilst at work and to help improve physical activity levels and mental wellbeing.

All Essex Pedal Power projects are committed to using and developing the local cycling infrastructure, including dedicated cycle paths, cycle lanes on roads, and community bike parking. An injection of £1.7m in funding, has enabled improvements to be made to the Jaywick to Clacton cycle route, resulting in a new coastal path. It is the hope that this will improve connections between the two towns and encourage more people to get out on their bikes.

Due to the projects success, and through funding from the London Marathon Foundation (LMF) following RideLondon coming to the county for the first time in 2022, Essex Pedal Power launched programmes in Basildon, Colchester, Harwich and Dovercourt and on Canvey Island in 2023.

In Basildon, bikes are available to residents living in Felmores and Fryerns, as well as staff working at the Basildon University Hospital. In addition, the Essex Pedal Power Basildon team have been working closely with local organisations to support people experiencing significant barriers to cycling, by providing them with a bike and other services.

In Colchester, Essex Pedal Power focuses on the Greenstead Estate as a priority area for regeneration. In addition, further funding was secured for adaptive bikes and children’s bikes, which will have a significant impact on the activity levels of local people, improving participants health and wellbeing.

In Harwich and Dovercourt, eligible residents in specific postcode areas, including Parkeston and Bathside Bay are able to apply for a free bike. Both adult and children’s bikes are available, and child seats have become a new addition for bike recipients with young children, who would like to go out on bike rides together as a family.

The Harwich and Dovercourt and Clacton and Jaywick programmes have been teaming up for events and led rides over the past 6 months helping to bring both coastal communities together.

In January 2024, Essex Pedal Power launched on Canvey Island allowing 200 new bikes to be given exclusively to eligible school children in years 6 and 7, to enable them to travel actively through their transition from Primary school to Secondary school.

Led by the Castle Point and Rochford School Sports Partnership and The Deanes School, the £150,000 funding for this programme comes from a partnership with the London Marathon Foundation, following Ford RideLondon-Essex coming to the county for a second time in 2023.

In November 2023, Sport England launched its new Place Partnerships programme (formally known as LDP), whereby an injection of additional funding and resources will help to increase activity levels, decrease inactivity and breakdown the barriers and inequalities that prevent people from playing sport or being active. As part of this new programme, Castle Point, Harlow and Thurrock have been chosen as the three new Place Partnerships for Essex, with Basildon, Colchester and Tendring continuing as the existing Place Partners. Due to this funding, bids have been put in to continue Essex Pedal Power in Basildon, Colchester and Tending, further develop the Canvey programme, and launch the initiative in Harlow.

Essex Pedal Power Harlow launched in December 2024, as part of the development phase in the new Place Partnerships initiative and is a partnership of Active Essex, Harlow Council, Rainbow Services, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town (HGGT), Roots to Wellbeing, Hub & Spoke Harlow and Sport England.