Southend-on-Sea

The ForwardMotion Mobile Cycle Hub can be found on the first and last Thursday of the month at the top of Southend High Street in Victoria Plaza outside the Odeon cinema.

Our Cytech trained mechanic Caroline, and team provide FREE bike checks and bike maintenance, minor repairs, FREE bike security tagging with Bike Register that would cost you £12 if you did it yourself. We also sell refurbished bikes at discounted rates, in a range of child and adult sizes. If you would like cycle training on your new bike, we can set up a FREE session that will also get you 50% off your new purchase. This training is completely tailored to you and your cycling needs, whether you want to go back to basics or just want more confidence for when you get back in the saddle.

The Cycle Hub team are also there to answer any of your active travel queries and can help you with making a Personalised Travel plan or show you what routes to take. The Hub can also travel to your event, workplace, college or training centre. To find out more, email the team: forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk

To keep up to date with the Mobile Cycle Hub and for any updates check our Facebook and Twitter.

ForwardMotion provides Bikeability training for adults, children and schools across the whole of the City.

Schools book sessions during term time and your child will do this during the school day. If your school does not provide this or your child would like extra training we also hold Bikeability sessions during the school holidays. These spaces fill very quickly so we urge you to email us to be on the waiting list for the next set of sessions at Forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk

Bikeability levels

• Level 1 is for children aged six years of age and over that can ride a bike unaided. We cover safe starts and stops, signalling, looking over the shoulder, swerving and stopping the bike quickly with control.
• Level 2 is for children aged 10 years of age and over and who have good control of a bike. We cover starting and stopping a journey on the road, passing a parked vehicle, road positioning and what to do at a T-junction.
• Level 3 is for children aged 10 years of age and over and who have previously completed Level 2. We cover cycling on busier roads, filter lanes, traffic light, roundabouts as well as route planning.

Learn to Ride

These 45 minute sessions are on a 1:1 basis and are aimed at children aged four years and over that cannot ride a pedal bike unaided.

To express an interest and for more details please email forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk

Adult cycling confidence sessions

Do you want to feel more confident cycling on the roads in today’s traffic? ForwardMotion offer FREE one to one cycling training with a qualified cycling instructor.

Whether you have never been on a bike or just want a confidence boost, our bespoke training will be tailormade for you to help you achieve your cycling goals.

For more information on how ForwardMotion can help you and to book a session, please email ForwardMotion@southend.gov.uk

Family Training Sessions

Do you want to enjoy family bike rides but feel one of the team is lacking in confidence or skills? Then family or group training sessions are perfect for you. You will attend two sessions lasting between one and two hours each, equalling three hours in total per family.

These bespoke sessions provide a tailored training package to help families / groups cycle together. It begins with an assessment of each family’s or group’s  specific cycling goals and current cycling ability (carried out by an instructor), accompanied by online preparation, including route planning before off-road cycle training commences.

This is followed by on-road cycle training and may be further supplemented by post-training self-assessment and mentoring. Practice between training sessions, and pre/post-training self-assessment validated by instructor assessment, will help boost cycling skills and confidence. By the end of the module, at least one adult family / group member should have demonstrated National Standard assessment criteria to at least to Bikeability Level 2. They should be able to plan group rides and help others develop their cycling skills and confidence. Riders must be able to cycle (i.e. Set off, pedal, slow down and stop) prior to training, and this course is more effective if at least one adult has completed the Adult Cycle Training module.

For more information on these sessions, please email us forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk

ForwardMotion manages several secure cycle parking facilities around the City. These are currently located at Leigh-on-Sea & Chalkwell stations and at the top of the High Street in Victoria Plaza.

Please please email us at forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk for more information on access to these lockers and prices for rental.

We attend various events across the City with our mobile cycle hub throughout the year where you are able to get free cycle checks, minor servicing and security tagging. Keep an eye out on our Facebook page for details of upcoming events.

Event organisers please please email us at forwardmotion@southend.gov.uk to discuss attending your event.

Check out the Go Jauntly walking app for Southend heritage walks, celbrating our New City Status:  Walking app – ForwardMotion – Go Jauntly

A free-to-use sustainable journey planner, the new TravelEssex app helps people in Essex to plan their journeys and travel by foot, bike, bus and train anywhere in the county.

Providing real-time travel information, users are given detailed expected journey and departure times for walking and cycling routes as well as bus services, including First, Arriva, Hedingham, and Stephensons, as well as Greater Anglia and C2C rail, National Rail and London Underground trains.

To download the TravelEssex app, search for it on the Play or Apple app store. For more information visit www.travelessex.co.uk

Download TravelEssex on the App Store

Download TravelEssex on Google Play

Just Ride Southend runs regular drop-in inclusive cycling sessions for people of all ages and abilities. Based at Southend Leisure & Tennis Centre at Garon Park. They provide a safe traffic-free experience with our specially adapted cycles to cater for all disabilities or health conditions. With the aim to provide a safe fun experience for everyone. https://justridesouthend.com

Southend Wheelers Cycling Club are one of the premier cycling clubs in Essex and the south-east of England. They cater for all ages from 12+ and most aspects of the sport, offering everything from the enjoyment of leisure cycling to the thrills of road racing, track and time trialling, and for those who like to ride off-road we have Cyclo-cross, MTB and gravel opportunities. Home | Southend Wheelers | Essex Cycling

Hadleigh MTB Club is the only Mountain Biking club to be based at an Olympic venue and the first affiliated club to be founded on the legacy of 2012. With British Olympic Mountain Bike star Annie Last as its ambassador, the club aims to become the largest modern MTB club in the UK, welcoming members of all ages from all walks of life. Hadleigh MTB Club

Blue Therapy offer a variety of activities for you to enjoy, ‘In, On or Near The Water’s Edge’. They create wonderful memories through amazing shared experiences.. “Your health and well-being mean everything to us, we would love for you join us and share some Blue Therapy together.” Get Involved | Blue Therapy Active | Southend-on-Sea

Active Life will help you make small changes which will improve your health and wellbeing. They deliver a high-quality service to the community at low cost. They believe life is not about getting fitter, but about being healthier Active Life – For a healthier you

Everyone Health are teaming up with Southend-on-Sea City Council, they are here to help with every aspect of health, fitness and wellbeing, with all of their programmes proven to have long term benefits. Home – Everyone Health Southend-on-Sea

The Ramblers are a friendly group organises a programme of walks including weekend and mid-week, from 5 miles at a leisurely pace to more energetic walks up to 15 miles, so there is something for everyone. Find your local group on their website. South East Essex – Ramblers

Simply Stride have unique walking sessions apply gentle yoga, pilates and mindset techniques to create a very flexible, often life changing walking course that has all kinds of physical and emotional benefits. Walking Groups Essex | 01702 662 418 (simplystride.co.uk)