Maria Miller, MP for Basingstoke, recently called in at Bunnies Children’s Centre at  Hatch Warren Community Centre to meet some of the young mums who have joined a new programme aimed at promoting cycling to women and girls.

“Breeze” is a national programme from British Cycling, with networks now being set up all over the country. Basingstoke’s Breeze network is led by Ruth Crawford, who explained to Maria how the initiative aims to help more women enjoy riding bikes for fun. They do this by helping to build their confidence and organising local group bike rides using cycle paths and designated cycle routes.

Maria had the opportunity to talk to some of the mums who have joined the Basingstoke Breeze network, and heard from them about how the programme has enabled them to get fit, become more confident, and make new friends. 

Maria said: “I was really interested to hear about the Basingstoke Breeze programme and the great work that it is doing to help more young women get involved in cycling for fun. The fact that Breeze Basingstoke and Bunnies Children’s Centre have combined resources to provide a crèche facility means that the programme is accessible to mums with pre-school children.”

Maria added: “I know from my own experience how enjoyable it is to be able to cycle together as a family, and that is another benefit that the mums taking part in Breeze Basingstoke will be able to look forward to as their children get older.”