If there's not already a Cycle Sisters group in your London borough and you're keen to work with us to set one up as a Group Lead, keep reading! 

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What do Group Leads do? 

 

Being a Group Lead for a new Cycle Sisters group is a volunteer role which is an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience.  You will be creating opportunities for hundreds of Muslim women in your area to discover cycling as well as building a strong community of local women with life-changing outcomes for you and others! 

 

You will work as a small team of volunteers supported by a dedicated Cycle Sisters team member to set up a new group in your borough.  The initial tasks during the set up phase involve: 

 

• Helping us identify other women to train as volunteer Ride Leaders alongside yourself 

• Planning routes for group rides 
   

Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before!  We will provide full training and support throughout the process (more info below).  

 

Once the initial set up phase is complete, you’ll take over the running of the group on a local level with our ongoing support.  

 

Who are we looking for to be Group Leads?  

 

To be able to start a new Cycle Sisters group, we need an initial team of 2 - 3 committed volunteers who meet the following criteria: 

 

• Can commit to giving volunteer time to work with us to set up a new Cycle Sisters group, train as Ride Leaders and take the group forward after the initial 6-9 month set up phase (during the set up phase time will be required for doing online training, attending a few online meetings with us and planning routes.  You’ll also need to be available for regular (preferably weekly) rides which can be weekdays or weekends according to your availability - we ask for each individual to commit to at least 2 rides per month so that with a rota of Ride Leaders we can run the rides weekly) 

• Have your own bike and are competent cyclists (you don’t need to be an expert cyclist, just confident cycling independently on the roads and we can support you to develop your cycling skills through free Bikeability training via your local council). A good knowledge of your local area is beneficial for identifying routes.

• Have a passion for inspiring and enabling Muslim women to cycle and an understanding of the barriers to cycling experienced by Muslim women 

• Able to act as role models to inspire other Muslim women and champion the values of Cycle Sisters

• Committed to creating an accessible and inclusive space which meets the needs of diverse Muslim women from all backgrounds 
   

What support will Cycle Sisters offer? 

 

Cycle Sisters will support you throughout the whole process of setting up the new group following which the group will be locally run by you as part of the Cycle Sisters network.  Our support will include: 

 

• Training on how to set up a new group with our comprehensive online training modules

• Access to Cycle Sisters policies and procedures which ensure we run safe and enjoyable rides

• Ride Leader training for a team of 5-6 women (includes British Cycling Ride Leadership Level 1 Award, first aid and basic bike maintenance). 

• Support with liaising with local council and other partners to arrange borrowed bikes for the group 

• Equipment for the group including Ride Leader equipment and hi-viz vests 

• Regular support via a dedicated member of the team during the set up period and ongoing support and mentoring moving forwards 

• Group promotion via our social media and website 

• Insurance for rides to cover you as volunteer Ride Leaders 

• Opportunity to be part of a London-wide network of Muslim women cyclists and Ride Leaders and to share experiences and learn from others.  

I’m interested!  What’s next? 

 

If you’re interested in setting up a new Cycle Sisters group in your borough and feel you meet the criteria outlined above, please complete this short form and we’ll be in touch with you.   

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Please note that we are only able to proceed with setting up a new Cycle Sisters group where we have sufficient volunteers to be Group Leads and support from the local council.  If you currently don’t know any others in your area who might like to form a team with you, you can still complete the form and we can see who else comes forward.  

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Click here to see a list of our current groups.  If you are from one of these current areas and interested in getting involved please contact us. 

 

If you have any questions, please contact sarah@cyclesisters.org.uk.