National award for committed cycle trainer who rode the extra mile

A much-loved instructor who revolutionised cycle training in Wokingham Borough and taught thousands of local children to ride has been honoured by a national charity.

Jill Bissell, who retired from the council’s My Journey Wokingham team last August after 15 years’ service, has won the Lifetime Achievement title in the latest Celebration of Bikeability awards.

The Bikeability Trust, which still enjoys a close and long-standing relationship with the council thanks to her efforts, will present her with a plaque in the New Year.

Jill, who lives locally with her husband and recently became a grandmother, said she was shocked but thrilled to have won and proud to have helped so many young residents to ride safely.

Changing our teaching for the better

Jill and her family moved to the area from Kent in 1989 and she became a volunteer cycle trainer at Oaklands Junior School in Crowthorne, which their two children attended, in 1997.

She initially taught pupils to pass the Cycling Proficiency Test, which Bikeability would eventually replace, before working casually as a test examiner.

Jill, a former Jobcentre manager and keen cyclist, trained as a Bikeability instructor in 2005 and wanted to get the council involved after joining its road safety team in 2008.

Back then, schools could only teach cycling proficiency if parents volunteered, which meant less affluent areas lost out and Jill felt every child deserved the opportunity.

Leading the way in cycle training

Jill said: "In 2010, the Department for Transport introduced grants for schoolchildren to be taught by paid Bikeability instructors - so we absolutely went for it as we knew we could get the funding.

"Our schools were great at taking it up when we offered it and we've been pleased at how popular it's been ever since."

Thanks to Jill’s early successes, the council was among just seven local authorities that were asked to pilot the enhanced Bikeability Plus scheme in 2016 and present the findings at a national conference.

This involved offering extra activities and was funded by a large grant, allowing the council to buy its first ever balance bikes, helmets and more. A year later, Jill was named 16th on Cycling UK’s list of the 100 most inspirational women in cycling.

Every child can learn to ride

"The Bikeability Plus trial took over my life for a year," said Jill, "but it was absolutely worth it and we were so pleased with how we performed – it was great to be recognised alongside six much larger councils.”

All primary-aged pupils in Wokingham Borough now have the chance to learn to maintain and control their bikes, as well as riding safely alongside others on the roads, as part of Bikeability.

It is taught in three levels, starting on quiet roads and building up to roads with more traffic and more complex junctions as well as route planning and handling challenging situations.

In 2020, the council was named Bikeability’s Local Authority Partner of the Year with 100 per cent of primary schools offering Bikeability training and 80 per cent of Year 6 children taking part.

A familiar face in our community

Jill said: "I was chuffed and honoured just to be nominated for the Lifetime Achievement award by my lovely colleagues and certainly didn't expect to win as there were so many other nominees.

"I had a really enjoyable career at the council and loved working with both the community and my team. I particularly liked doing so much work face-to-face rather than in an office.

"I loved teaching children of all ages and still have young people coming up to me in the street and saying 'you taught me to ride'. My colleagues were amazed that I remembered all their names.

"Learning to ride is such an important life skill, not just in terms of controlling a bike but also understanding the rules of the road and how to keep yourself safe."

Tackling the bigger issues

My Journey Wokingham’s work is part of the council's efforts to encourage walking, cycling and taking public transport, in turn helping its wider goals of tackling the climate emergency, improving air quality and helping people to be physically and mentally healthier.

It also offers Learn to Ride children's sessions and runs a weekly balance bike club for two- to four-year-olds, as well as supporting events like the annual Wokingham Bikeathon and organising an annual Summer Bike Bonanza.

Jill said: "If you can instil a love and knowledge of cycling at a young age, people can always draw on it later even if they only ride once a week or so. It's great exercise in the fresh air and it all helps to take traffic off the road.

"The council are working hard to make school routes safer and I hope in future we'll see more children walking and cycling. It's healthy and a valuable learning experience compared to being driven and it helps them become more independent."

Taking Jill's successes to the next level

Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: "We were sad to say goodbye to Jill this year but very proud of all she achieved - and now we're just as thrilled to see her years of hard work recognised by a leading cycling body.

"We have a strong track record of encouraging children to walk, wheel or cycle from a young age, which should make these active and sustainable modes of travel more popular as new generations grow up with them.

"At the same time, we're working to secure the funding we need for improvements that will make it safer and more attractive. We know we can't only ask people to change their behaviour and we're doing all we can to make it the natural choice.

"We're consulting now on our new Local Transport Plan, which will shape the future of all transport in the borough for years to come, and urge everyone to take part in this."

A well-earned but active retirement

Jill continues to serve as a Champion for British Cycling's Breeze women's riding scheme and has helped many local women into the sport since 2015.

A few weeks ago, she celebrated her 200th ride with an extra-long trip to Windsor Great Park and back via Ascot. She has completed several more Breeze rides since then.

Meanwhile, the council’s Bikeability work with schools continues to thrive under a new co-ordinator.

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