Micromobility company Lime, along with the London Cycling Campaign and Loud Mobility, have announced the latest community groups to receive funding in a new round of the Share The Joy Community Fund grant scheme.
A total of £68,000 been awarded to 24 community groups to support projects that encourage more people to cycle. The groups were able to apply for funding to cover core costs, project costs, or new equipment.
Historically, the average amount awarded to each project is £2,500 but it is emphasised that ‘exceptional cases and brilliant ideas will receive more.’
Successful applications must fall into one of three categories:
Health & Wellbeing
Projects that improve physical and mental wellbeing or tackling health inequalities.
Accessibility & Inclusion
Projects that provide cycling support to groups underrepresented in cycling in London.
Skills & Connectivity
Projects that help people develop skills and access employment opportunities, as well as provide free or discounted access to active travel to enable connectivity.
In this round of funding, particular emphasis was placed on supporting projects that encouraged more women to cycle, following Lime’s recent Gender Pedal Gap Report finding that 9 out of 10 female cyclists face barriers to cycling. The London Cycling Campaign have also conducted research into the number of cycle routes that are potentially unsafe at night.
Among the recipients of funding were Black Women on Wheels, a community of black women cyclists which was formed in April 2021. The group rides twice a month, occasionally making a special event of it, such as a long weekend cycling trip to the Isle of White planned for later this year.
Co-Founder Faith Uwadiae said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this Share the Joy grant. This support will help us increase our ride frequency by training more ride leaders while also strengthening the foundations of our cycling club.
‘This will have a lasting, positive impact on our mission to empower more Black women to discover the joy of cycling,’
Other beneficiaries include Westminster Wheels, a bike shop where unemployed residents can be trained as bike mechanics, and Independent Cycling Training which organises cycling sessions designed for patients recovering from major cardiac events.
Tom Fyans, Chief Executive, London Cycling Campaign said: ‘LCC is hugely proud to be part of the Share The Joy fund, helping reach 24 new grassroots organisations in this round of funding alone, as cycling continues to grow in numbers and diversity across London, and increasingly becomes a leisure activity, sport and humble mode of transport that everyone can access.’
Lime’s Alice Pleasant added: ‘It has been fantastic to witness the positive impact that the Share The Joy fund has on cycling communities all across London since it launched last year.
‘By increasing Lime’s contribution to the fund in 2025, we’re able to help provide vital first-time funding to a number of new organisations and groups, as well as renewed funding for others. Working with LCC we are so proud to play a role in ensuring these important organisations continue to grow and overcome barriers to cycling.’
The fund will reopen for new applications in June, with further funding rounds running later in 2025 and 2026.
Leave a Reply