A group of young people from Denbigh held an event to consult the public on the need for safer biking routes in the town for young people to be able to get out and about and keep active.
The idea came when Osian Gregson, 13, who attends Denbigh Youth Club decided to take action after becoming frustrated that there wasn’t anywhere suitable in the town for him and other young people in the area to be able to play out on their bikes safely. He shared his concerns with a Youth Worker who advised him on what he would need to do to get his voice heard.
Osian went on to write to his local MP to share his views about the need for safer routes and areas for young people to be able to ride their bikes in Denbigh before banding together with other young people from the Youth Club to launch the ‘Bumps and Jumps’ campaign.
The aim of their campaign is to gather views and generate support for safer bike routes and areas where young people in Denbigh can go to ride their bikes safely.
The group launched the campaign on the 26th of March, 2024 with a consultation event at Cae Hywel in Denbigh. The event was organised by the young people, with the support of their Youth Worker from Denbighshire Youth Service.
The aim of the event was to provide the local community with an opportunity to share their views on whether they believe that more biking routes and areas to be able to ride your bike, such as pump tracks, are needed in Denbigh in order for people to be able to ride more safely in the area.
The group also set up a portable pump track at the event to show off some of their biking skills and to exhibit the benefits of a potential pump track in Denbigh.
Other activities were also provided by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. and Denbighshire Housing such as zorbs and painting activities, while Denbigh Hwb and Denbigh Youth Project arranged packed lunches for attendees. Drosi Bikes also attended with their Doctor Bike service to provide bike safety checks and advice.
This consultation event was the first phase of the young people’s ‘Bumps and Jumps’ project with the group already planning future activities with the support of their Youth Club to take the campaign further.
Osian said: “The idea for this campaign came partly from the fact that I love being outside; I would rather be outside than on my PlayStation! But also, not everyone is able to easily get about. Some parents don’t drive and so young people rely on our bikes a lot to get around and I want to be able to feel safe riding from one place to the other in Denbigh.
“The campaign isn’t just about having safer bike routes, but we don’t really have anywhere in Denbigh where we can go out and ride our bikes with our friends. That’s why something like a pump track in the area would be great because it would offer a space for us to go where we can socialise and keep active and not just sit at home.”
Liz Grieve, Denbighshire County Council’s Head of Housing and Community Services, said: “It’s refreshing to see such an enthusiastic group of young people pouring their efforts into something with the aim of benefitting their local community and encouraging other young people to get out and keep active.
“I would like to thank Denbighshire Youth service for supporting these young people on their journey to achieve their goals and I look forward to seeing the progress of the ‘Bumps and Jumps’ campaign. I wish the group all the best with any future activities or events that they arrange to help drive the campaign forward.”
