End of the road for Caithness cycling scheme after loss of funding
An acclaimed active travel programme that has promoted the benefits of cycling to thousands of people in the far north has come to an end after funding was withdrawn.
It means there is no longer a role for George Ewing, who for the past four years has been working as Caithness development officer for the national charity Cycling UK.
His mission has been to encourage the use of a bike for short trips, rather than driving, and successes during that time have included a hugely popular cycle-to-school initiative for Noss primary pupils.
Caithness is one of six parts of Scotland affected by the recent announcement that funding from Regional Transport Partnerships (RTPs) for Cycling UK’s Connecting Communities programme is not being renewed. East Sutherland is another.
Mr Ewing, a lifelong cyclist and former police sergeant, was appointed in 2021 to lead Cycling UK’s Rural Connections activity in Caithness, funded by the transport agency Transport Scotland. Rural Connections and a separate project, known as Bothies, were later brought together under the new title Connecting Communities.
Between them, Mr Ewing and his East Sutherland counterpart Amanda Wagstaffe have engaged with more than 9000 people since 2021 through a range of activities including led rides, adult cycle training lessons, family sessions, bike maintenance tips and health walks.
James Scott, director of behaviour change at Cycling UK, said: “It’s with great sadness we must announce that the Regional Transport Partnerships funding for Cycling UK’s Connecting Communities programme has not been renewed, with six project locations closing before March 31.
“This decision affects projects in Inverclyde, Dunoon, Helensburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Sutherland and Caithness. These projects have played a vital role in changing lives and helping people gain confidence in cycling, access free bike maintenance and participate in social rides and walking activities.
“While we share the disappointment of the communities affected, we are incredibly grateful to our staff, volunteers, participants and partner organisations who made these projects a success.
“We remain fully committed to promoting active travel across Scotland and will continue working to create more opportunities for cycling, walking and wheeling.”
A message on the Cycling UK Caithness Facebook page announced: “With regret, Cycling UK’s Connecting Communities programme in Caithness will be closing on March 31 due to external funding not being renewed.
“Through free bike maintenance sessions, cycling skills training and led rides, we’ve supported the Caithness community in making active travel part of everyday life. We sincerely thank our local partners, volunteers and participants for their commitment to making this programme a success.
“We hope to be able to support cycling and walking in Caithness in the future.”
Cycling UK says it has been working closely with the affected staff, including “helping them explore other opportunities within Cycling UK where possible”.
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According to the Transport Scotland website, its Active Travel Framework “brings together the key policy approaches to improving the uptake of walking and cycling in Scotland for travel. It has been produced collaboratively by Transport Scotland and key delivery partners, with input from Regional Transport Partnerships and local authorities.”
It adds that “at its heart is an ambition that by 2030, Scotland’s communities are shaped around people and place, enabling walking and cycling to be the most popular mode of travel for short, everyday journeys”.
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The People and Place programme was established in 2024/25, as part of the wider transformation of how we deliver active travel behaviour change and infrastructure interventions.
“RTPs, working in partnership with their respective local authorities, now receive direct funding – giving them more autonomy and flexibility to identify the key priorities and challenges unique to their communities, establishing how best to address these challenges at a local and regional level.”
The RTP covering the north of Scotland is the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS).
Vikki Trelfer, active travel officer at HITRANS, said: “The Cycling UK Connecting Communities project in Caithness has certainly been very popular, and it’s great that they were able to come in and set up the project where there was previously no such provision.
“Now that Transport Scotland’s active travel behaviour change funding is coming directly to Regional Transport Partnerships, we have had to make some difficult decisions about what we can continue to fund within our allocated budget.
“Highland Council indicated that they were keen to build capacity within the active travel team and have in-house delivery of road safety and active travel behaviour change projects and Bikeability Scotland sessions in schools, workplaces and communities within the local authority area.”
The council has been advertising four vacancies for behaviour change officers, covering Caithness and Sutherland as well as other locations.
Ms Trelfer added: “HITRANS are looking forward to working with Highland Council in these areas, and seeing a continuation of the good work begun by the Cycling UK project.”
A “bike train” has been trialled as a partnership between Noss Primary School and Cycling UK, with pupils and adults joining at different points along the route from Staxigoe through various residential streets in Wick.
Maree Todd, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross and Scottish Government minister for social care, mental wellbeing and sport, joined the Noss bike train before the October break and called it “a standout example” of how schools can promote physical activity in accessible and enjoyable ways.
A total of 135 cyclists took part that day.
In a recording for the Wick Voices oral history project three years ago, Mr Ewing said: “I see cycling as something that anyone and everyone can do, and it’s something that everyone should have the opportunity to do as well. If there are people out there that would rather cycle than use a car or use a bus, then my view is I would love to be able to try and help them to achieve that goal.”
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