All Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships Launched

For over 70 years, Variety – the Children’s Charity of Ireland have been providing vital help and assistance to children with disabilities across the island of Ireland.

In recent years with the kind help of Minister Anne Rabbitte and The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, as well as Minister Eamon Ryan and all at The Department of Transport, we have been able to implement our environmentally sustainable “Recycle Mobility Programme”. This programme ensures families who have children with disabilities have equal access to cycling with their family and friends.

As a follow on to this initiative, today marks a new chapter of our charity’s proud history in here in Ireland where we are excited to launch our “All Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships.” This programme is designed to unite families from different communities both north and south of Ireland, who have children with disabilities.

With the kind support of RTE’s Late Late Toy Show Appeal, who together with Variety Ireland, were able to co-fund special mobility trikes for each group. We were able unite children’s disability cycling clubs Roche Emmets from Dundalk, Co Louth, with disability cycling club SNAP Group, from Folkhill, Co Armagh. This now means parents with children with disabilities can now meet up together with their children and enjoy cycling days out and activities together.

Our All Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships unites children’s disability groups both north and south of Ireland, while promoting reconciliation between families with children with disabilities across all communities both north and south of Ireland.

As we prepare to roll out this programme out to other disability groups across other counties both north and south of Ireland, it will ensure children with disabilities have equal access to cycling activities with other disability groups.

Variety Ireland’s All Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships is designed to break down barriers and unite children with disabilities from across various communities who can now integrate with other children with disabilities both north and south of Ireland, which is great for both their mental and physical wellbeing.

Variety Ireland would like to sincerely thank RTE’s Late Late Christmas Toy Show Appeal,  The Community Foundation and the generosity of the Irish public for supporting the launch stage of our “All Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships” which is helping to shape the future of cycling for children with disabilities both north & south of Ireland.

If you are a cycling club based in Ireland who are interested in teaming up with other disability cycling clubs as part of our All-Ireland Disability Cycling Partnerships, we would love to hear from you!

We wish all the wonderful children and dedicated parents of Roche Emmets and SNAP Group, many happy years of cycling together!

Take a look at this video showing the happy smiley faces of the children enjoying their new special mobility trikes.