Information on Loughborough

Moped Course Kickstarts Glenfield Group's Success

Posted on 21/08/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council

21 August 2009

Moped Course Kickstarts Glenfield Group's Success

Young people in Glenfield have learnt the art of motorcycle maintenance and picked up tips on riding safely this summer.

A group of nine from the village's youth club took part in a four-week moped course which also covered the law and was funded by the County Council's Youth Service and Leicestershire Police.

The event was designed to provide young people with somewhere safe to ride and address concern from residents about mopeds being ridden off-road - both issues were flagged up in a recent survey carried out by Glenfield Youth Council.

This newly-formed panel involves 10 young people and aims to provide a voice for them within the community.

Another 12 young people from the club who are interested in future careers as mechanics have secured almost £3,000 through the Youth Opportunities Fund to enable them to embark on a 14-week Youth Bike training course.

Starting next month, the course will lead to an Asdan Award - this is a nationally recognised course enabling young people to build up credits which can be the equivalent of a GCSE.

Mark Woolman, who is 14, took part in the event and said: "I learnt lots of things about riding a bike safely and how to turn at junctions. I also learnt about how to maintain a bike and what to look out for."

Ivan Ould, County Council Cabinet Member for the Children and Young People's Service, said: "This is a great example of young people using their initiative to learn important new skills and a real accomplishment for Glenfield Youth Council."

PC Matt Turner from the Glenfield neighbourhood policing team, said: “The course was designed to give them a responsible attitude to riding a motorbike or moped. We told them how to stay safe, and educated them about the legal consequences if they broke the rules.

“I would like to thank Glenfield Co-op for allowing us to use part of their car park so we could safely show the group how to tackle road junctions.”

The survey was carried out during a family open day held at Glenfield Youth Centre. The day was arranged to raise the profile of the youth club and Glenfield Youth Council, open a new outdoor pitch and attract new members.

For more information about Glenfield Youth Centre and Glenfield Youth Council, please contact a member of the youth staff team or the centre Co-ordinator on 0116  305 5714.