Congratulations to Lucy – one of Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling 2024

Congratulations to Linskill’s Community Programme Project Worker, Lucy Fenwick, for being listed as one of Cycling UK’s 100 Women in Cycling 2024 for her work as a Community Champion!  What a fantastic achievement.

Read the nomination here:

Lucy is an enabler. She took on a new part-time job during Covid and, from a standing start, she has created Linskill Riders – now a flourishing Community Cycling Club. Based in the Linskill Centre in North Shields the group has attracted returning riders from among the people who attend the centre’s other activities and she’s reached many others through local networks. She has brought her career experience with Sustrans into play at Linskill, and through her encouragement and support there are now five qualified volunteer Ride Leaders and two more waiting in the wings (all trained through Cycling UK). indeed, one of those, Kim Suleman, became Cycling UK’s Going the Extra Mile Community Cycling Volunteer in 2023, having grown in confidence and skill through Lucy’s support and enthusiasm.

I also trained as a volunteer ride leader last year and I’ve been very impressed with Lucy’s professionalism, clear sightedness and humility – she doesn’t know how good she is at what she does! She achieves so much, despite only working part-time for the Linskill Trust and having responsibility for other projects and events unrelated to cycling.

She is always receptive to new faces; offering them reassurance and a warm welcome. With Lucy’s support in 2022 some members started an associated WhatsApp group “Squeaky Wheels”. This offers a space for guided and social rides in addition to the Led rides, tours and Big Bike Revival events organised by Lucy within the Trust. There are now 54 members of Squeaky Wheels – 42 women and 12 men. Most are aged over 55 and newcomers are still joining the group having been introduced via Linskill BBR events. Some of the now experienced members go out together all year round, whatever the North East of England weather throws at them. Most newcomers to Linskill Riders and Squeaky Wheels are women ‘returners’ who have gone from fear of everything to a willingness to take on challenges, with Lucy’s encouragement. In some cases that has meant going from falling off and bumping into things to joining rides of 50-60 miles at a time. Without Lucy I and many of the other members would have missed out on this engaging phase of our lives: making new friends; being more active; becoming braver and much fitter.