With a new, larger venue booked due to high demand, and 100 vegan Scouse pies ordered from the famous Homebaked Community Bakery in Anfield, the scene was set for community groups, experts and decision makers from across the Liverpool City Region to gather for Merseyside Cycling Campaign Summit & AGM 2025.
Don Thompson and Rebecca Sharkey opened the event by welcoming Councillors from a range of political parties from across the LCR region, including the Leader of Liverpool Council, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool and LCR’s Cycling Commissioner. They explained that the approach of MCC – which is celebrating its fortieth year in 2025 – is to build bridges and act as a ‘critical friend’, campaigning and putting pressure on our political leaders to deliver what they have set out in their strategies, while supporting the actively engaged to inspire progress and positive change. The campaign does this in three ways – through campaigns, community and consultations.
A key aim of MCC is to demonstrate how all sorts of people benefit from cycling for all sorts of reasons, so it was great to kick off the day with Monika Grabias-Rodriguez, who told about her positive experience with Molly Coddle, a project set up by Peloton Liverpool Cooperative to give mums and caregivers with young children the opportunity to cycle together.
During the morning panel, on the theme of ‘Making Liverpool City Region a brilliant place to cycle’,
Ed Gommon (Director, Zero Carbon Liverpool) described how, “from now, until 2032 is an absolutely crucial time for the city in terms of active travel. We must seize this opportunity and ensure it’s not a false dawn”. Dr Kay Inckle (Campaigns & Policy Manager, Wheels for Wellbeing) explained how for a majority of Disabled people, cycling is easier than walking. “Mobility Justice means that resources should be aimed towards those who have least access to transport and mobility rather than those with the most mobility privilege”. Answering a question from Councillor Barbara Dunn from Knowsley about perceptions of empty bike lanes, Simon O’Brien (Cycling Commissioner for Liverpool City Region) made a salient point that if you stood on a railway bridge you might conclude that train tracks were empty and inefficient – when of course the opposite is true for both train tracks and cycle lanes. Ian Pennington described his involvement with the inspiring campaign group Walk Ride GM, which has successfully developed a new and dynamic active travel campaign coalition, with local groups across Greater Manchester, an impressive social media presence, and constructive relationships with GM decision makers.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Leader of Liverpool Council, highlighted the Bike Life report, which found that 7 out of 10 people across the city region wanted safe cycling and segregated infrastructure. “As cycling and active travel campaigners, one of our key roles is to make sure that what we’re pushing for – genuinely – is popular and what the majority of people want us to do. So please keep pushing us and keep being on that front line telling people this is exactly what we should be doing.”
In his role as Road Safety Coordinator at Liverpool Council, Andy Codd accepts that Liverpool is a long way behind other cities when it comes to creating the links between road safety and active travel, and there is a lot to do to catch up. As part of Liverpool’s road safety education programme, he is focussing on the reintroduction of school travel plans as a key process, and his team has developed an annual calendar of campaigning on road safety issues linked to the fatal four: speeding, mobile phone use, seatbelts and drink/drug driving. Andy is looking to strengthen the links between his team and the local cycle community to ensure their issues are not overlooked.
In the afternoon, Ellis Palmer, BBC Radio Merseyside climate and environment reporter, interviewed some of Merseyside’s cycling community champions. Please check out their websites for information and heart-warming stories about their projects:
- Helen Holcroft from Aigburth Community Cycling Club, an inclusive community club sharing the joy of cycling with people of all abilities through regular guided rides.
- Magdela Cichocka from Cycling UK, which supports community groups in Merseyside.
- Danny Robinson from Peloton Co-op, whose mission is “to make Liverpool an even better city through more of us riding bikes, by bringing us together through bikes and by bringing those in the margins of our city into the fold through healthy stuff to do, training and employment opportunities”
- Elliot Duffell from Queers With Gears, which organises rides in Liverpool to create a fun empowering space for queers to connect on bikes.
- John Heldt is a ‘back rider’ at SAVI (Sports and Activities for the Visually Impaired) Tandem Club. He came along with his ‘front rider’ Chris Malburn, to share his love of cycling – and his gratitude to the tandem club for enabling him to continue to enjoy cycling after his sight loss meant he could no longer go out alone.
- Shaun Gallagher and Peter Clucas shared stories of the many people from all backgrounds who enjoy being part of St Helens Pedal Power Community Cycling Group. “We dream of a world where every disabled person and those with long-term health conditions can feel the exhilaration, joy, and empowerment of cycling”.
- Wheels for All is the largest provider of inclusive cycling in the country. Ian Tierney, its CEO, showed a wonderful short film about a visit from Simon O’Brien, Liverpool City Region’s Cycling Commissioner, to one of its projects in Liverpool.
The Gary Clarke Memorial Cup is given each year to an individual or group making a difference in local cycling – in memory of police officer Gary Clarke, who was tragically killed while off-duty riding his bike. This year, MCC was delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Barbara Murray, and Inspector Simon Wilson from Merseyside Police, to present the Cup, with a £200 donation from MCC, to Asylum Link Merseyside Bike Club and Repair Shop, who do such important work enabling refugees to benefit from cycling. Darryl Marsden, collecting the award on behalf of Asylum Link Merseyside, said: “Huge thanks to MCC for this award. It is a testament to all the wonderful volunteers! The bike initiative makes a huge difference to people at the centre”.
The following three key positions at MCC were elected during the AGM:
Rebecca Sharkey – Chair
Andrew Grimbly – Secretary
Peter Roome – Treasurer