Our meeting on Wednesday 17 April 2024 was a face to face meeting with a speaker, Veronica Chamberlain, the Chair of Harrow Cycle Hub, an organisation providing a variety of services to cyclists and to the public at large.
Harrow Cycle Hub was founded in 2021, right in the middle of the Covid pandemic lock-downs, when people still had to get about but were not entirely happy with travelling using public transport. The reduction in traffic on the roads at that time tempted many former cyclists to open their garden sheds and get their bicycles back into action.
Cycling has a health benefit, and our speaker produced many statistics about the health of our community, and how returning to bicycles for personal transport could tackle many conditions including diabetes and obesity. Yet only 1% of the local workforce cycle to work, and there is only one ‘protected cycle lane’ in the borough. Veronica ran through some of the other benefits of cycling, especially those to do with pollution, climate change, and traffic congestion.
Veronica took us through the major supporters of the Hub, itemising some of the ways in which their support has made a difference. Harrow Cycle Hub aims to ensure that the benefits of cycling are available to all members of the community, and has several unusual bicycles assisting those with some form of disability.
As well as organised rides for their members, they also operate bicycle maintenance courses, secondhand bicycle sales, and a general information and advice service for their members and for the public. She closed with an appeal for help from mechanics in our Club, from administrators in our Club and from those in our Club that have skills with Social Media.
There were many questions from the floor, and the Club was able to provide a cheque towards their costs.
