DURING the month of July 2023, Rural Health and Care Wales (RHCW), in association with The Great Outdoor Gym Company (TGOGC), held a competition between the towns of Aberaeron, Cardigan and Lampeter, to see which town generated the most power from the static bikes that have been installed in Cae Sgwar (Aberaeron), Victoria Gardens (Cardigan) and Parc yr Orsedd (Lampeter).
The bikes were sited in the towns as part of the “On your Bike” project run by Rural Health and Care Wales (www.ruralhealthandcare.wales), which aims to encourage physical activity in young people by giving them the opportunity to use outdoor, power generating, static bikes to charge their phones and mobile devices. The “On your Bike” project was funded by Cynnal y Cardi (Ceredigion County Council).
TGOGC sponsored the inter-town competition by agreeing to fund the planting of trees, as part of the Eden Project. The number of trees to be planted was to be based on the amount of energy generated from the bikes during the month of July. The Eden Reforestation Project (www.edenprojects.org), has 10 tree-planting sites across the
world and provides local employment opportunities with a fair wage, whilst counteracting deforestation.
Aberaeron won the competition by generating the most energy on the bikes, with Cardigan and Lampeter coming joint runners up. Well done, Aberaeron! The power generated by the bikes in Aberaeron resulted in 90 trees being funded, whilst the power generated in Cardigan and Lampeter saw 20 trees per town being funded.
TGOGC kindly offered to double the number of trees and therefore, in addition to the trees already funded as a result of purchasing the bikes, the power generated by people using the bikes as part of the “On your Bike” project will result in a total of 353 trees being planted!
RHCW and TGOGC are very pleased with the enthusiasm of the local communities of Aberaeron, Cardigan and Lampeter and would like to thank them for their contributions and commitment to the competition and the project.
RHCW’s involvement with the ‘On your Bike’ project will end in September 2023, with the bikes then being handed over to the town councils and local communities of Aberaeron, Cardigan and Lampeter. The bikes can be used by anyone as a form of outdoor exercise and / or to charge mobile devices; it is hoped that the bikes will encourage more active and healthier lifestyles, linking outdoor recreation with technology and renewable energy. For further information please contact Claire Hamer, Research and Development Officer, RHCW on 01970 628962 / [email protected].
