Feel the wind in your hair!
A lack of mobility is no longer an obstacle to getting on a bike and we feel that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and has the right to wind in their hair.
RAAFA has recently joined forces with Cycling Without Age (CWA) an international volunteer, not-for-profit organisation that connects elderly people with the community and outdoors. We have just purchased a specially built electric trishaw bike, that will be located at Air Force Memorial Estate and will be available to take residents along an as yet to be selected scenic routes. RAAFA envisages this experience will be used and enjoyed by many residents on the estate, especially those living in the Alice Ross-King Care Centre and Gordon Lodge.
Our mission is to build bridges between generations by providing the elderly with an opportunity to remain active in their community by taking them out on these bikes to enjoy the fresh air and the community around them.
Cycling Without Age is a movement started in 2012 by Ole Kassow from Copenhagen. Ole wanted to help the elderly get back on their bicycles, but he had to find a solution to their limited mobility. The answer was a trishaw and he started offering free bike rides to the local nursing home residents.
Cycling Without Age was started in Denmark, and has now grown into an international organization in 37 countries with 1500 trishaws worldwide.
RAAFA received their bike on 13 February and in conjunction with two others arriving in Perth will be launched at the following 3 occasions.
We will be at the Luminocity Bike Ride through Perth run by Bicycling Western Australia, on Saturday, 17 February for a 39km circuit through major landmarks in Perth. The event will start at UWA at 8.00pm.
The official Western Australian launch will be on Saturday, 24 February, 9.00am to 11.00am at Hillary’s Boat Harbour where there will be raffles, morning tea and a chance to try out the bikes for short rides around the location.
There will be another chance to try the bikes on the morning of Saturday, 24 March, 9.00am to 12noon at the Shelley Foreshore as part of “Bike Week”.
We would love you to join us on this exciting journey.
There are also many opportunities to become involved in this fantastic program, from a pilot (rider) to admin support, you name it, we are happy to hear from you. If you are interested, please email karen@cyclingwithoutage.org.au or skomen@raafawa.org.au for more details.