Petrus Pedals gets Councillor Ali in motion

Councillor Daalat Ali gets ready to cycle

Service users from Petrus Community, the homelessness charity in Rochdale, joined Councillor Dallat Ali and tested their abilities at a safe cycling tuition session earlier this month.

Organised by Petrus Community Cycling Club and Hollingworth Lake Cycling Club, the event aimed to improve both mental and physical health in a fun and social environment.

Simon Duczak, Hollingworth Lake Outdoor Activities Officer, led the ride along road and tracks close to the lake. Users also enjoyed challenging themselves with hill climbing and descents, surprising themselves with their abilities.

Lifetime ambition was also fulfilled on the day when Councillor Dallat Ali learnt how to ride a bike, thanks to support from cycling instructor and Petrus Pedals volunteer, Pauline Cooper.

Martin Topham, Project Leader and Cycling Development Manager at Petrus, said: “The session went down really well and it was great to see a group of people who are often left at the margins enjoying themselves.

“We have had many requests for more rides to be organised and we would like to thank Simon and his team for all their hard work in leading the event.”

Councillor Ali said: “It was a fantastic day and it was a pleasure to see the work being done by this fantastic joint project which is giving people the confidence to rebuild their lives.”

Petrus Community, which is owned and managed by The Regenda Group, provides housing and support to people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. It aims to empower and engage with service users to help prevent them from returning to the streets.