New wheelchair bike for Peak District National Park

Image: Generous donators raised funds for Sarah Fowler’s Boma 7 wheelchair bike appeal

A powered wheelchair bike is all set to help more people enjoy cycling adventures on the Peak District National Park’s trails.

The Boma 7 is a lightweight all-terrain machine which benefits from being battery powered making it possible for disabled riders to enjoy exploring miles of traffic-free trails, such as the High Peak and Tissington Trails.

It is now available to hire from the Peak District National Park cycle hire centre at Parsley Hay, near Hartington. The centre has a range of accessible and standard cycles suitable for all ages and abilities, and expert staff on hand to advise.

The wheelchair bike was purchased following a crowdfunding challenge which saw Peak District National Park chief executive Sarah Fowler cycle 55 miles in June during the Eroica Britannia vintage cycle ride.

Sarah Fowler said: “I wanted to raise funds for this wheelchair bike because I passionately believe cycling is a great way for people to experience the national park – the landscape, the views, the friendly villages and not forgetting the local food and drink along the way.

“Having the wheelchair bike available means that people of all abilities have the opportunity to experience the national park by bike like I do most weeks. But we couldn’t have bought it without donations from the public and I was overwhelmed by people’s generosity that got us to the target.”

In total Sarah’s appeal raised £8,700 thanks to many generous donations from members of the public including £3,000 from local business Derbyshire Country Cottages, £1,400 from local charity Accessible Derbyshire, £1,000 from David and Julie Graham, and two donations of £500 from Duncan and Rebecca Stokes of Hassop Station café and cycle hire, and Trevor and Kay Fearn of Baslow.

Chris Hodgson and Sylvia Stimson of Derbyshire Country Cottages said: “We give our customers the opportunity to donate £1 to the Peak District National Park when they make a booking for one of our holiday cottages – we’ve been doing this for several years now and have previously donated money towards conservation work.

“The Peak District National Park is a fantastic place to visit but for some people accessing all it has to offer can be tough. For anyone with a disability or mobility difficulties and use a wheelchair then the very things that make the national park special can seem out of reach. We were really pleased to help support Sarah’s Boma bike appeal as it will help more people have fun in the beautiful Peak District.”

For information on how to donate to the Peak District National Park, including to improve access and support the traffic-free trails, visit www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/donate