Riding Safely

Organising your own BIG BIKE RIDE

Before you begin

• Check the route; make sure that it is safe for all taking part.
• Make sure that everyone has checked that their equipment is sound – a service at a professional bike shop is recommended.
• Ensure your lights are working and your bike is fitted with reflectors.
• Ensure you and the group are fit enough to take part in the event.
• Assemble a first aid kit and choose key individuals to carry the equipment. For larger events, first aid cover from qualified first aiders should be provided. Contact St. John Ambulance on 08700 104 950 or at www.sja.org.uk, or The British Red Cross on 0870 170 9222 or at www.redcross.org.uk.
• Contact your local police for assistance with particularly busy or dangerous crossings and for an emergency contact number.
• For larger bike rides, it is advisable to inform your local police and local authority about your route so they can make adequate provisions for traffic/pedestrian safety and offer you appropriate advice.
• It is optional for you to obtain insurance advice for your bike ride. If you would like a quote from the NSPCC’s insurance broker to arrange cover for your event, please contact Sarah Owen at Giles Insurance Brokers Ltd on 0121 200 4941 or via email at sarah.owen@gilesinsurance.co.uk.

Make sure you follow these tips

• Wear a safety helmet. We recommend that children wear a helmet at all times and strongly advise that adults do likewise.
• Wear appropriate clothing, for example if you will be cycling late please ensure participants wear highly visible clothing/reflective bands.
• Make sure you’re fit enough to take part in the event and can manage the planned route.
• Take a bottle of water and adequate sun protection (hat/cream) if appropriate.
• Agree a method of communication, preferably using mobile phones with a list available of key people in the event of an emergency.

Ensure a trusted rider:

• takes the lead and knows the route well, keeping to an agreed pace.
• acts as a sweeper, making sure that all participants are keeping up and is aware of what to do in the event of an accident.

When riding on the road:

• follow the Highway Code at all times.
• don’t jump red lights.
• ride single file.
• do not encourage overtaking.
• make sure you are aware of what other vehicles are doing.
• ride positively and decisively, helping motorists see what you plan to do.
• use your bell – not all pedestrians can see you.

When riding off road:

• remember to expect the unexpected.
• keep your speed down.
• give way to walkers, wheelchair users and horse riders and do not ride on footpaths, bridleways or pavements.

In case of accident:

• plan for eventualities such as an injury or accident.
• make sure you know where the local hospital is and how to get there.

Please note, your bike ride is not an NSPCC organised event and is not covered by the NSPCC’s insurance programme. The NSPCC shall not be liable for any loss or injury arising out of the event or its organisation and therefore you may wish to organise separate liability insurance to protect yourselves and the event participants.

Organisers will also need to undertake their own health and safety assessments and may wish to follow the helpful hints set out on this website.

Keeping Children Safe

The NSPCC believes that all children should be safe and protected from harm in all activities. We have a few key tips on how you can achieve this at your event and make your BIG BIKE RIDE a great day for everyone.

What are your responsibilities?

As event organiser it is your role to ensure, to the best of your abilities, that children are kept safe at your event. This does not have to be a difficult task and you are not required to undertake any formal checks, but the suggestions in this document should be foremost in your mind when organising and taking part in the BIG BIKE RIDE.

How can I protect children?

• Make sure that all the children at your event are there with their parent’s or carer’s knowledge and consent. Parents should know what the event consists of, how long it will last and when and where children should be picked up and dropped off. It is advisable to have the contact details of parents or next of kin in case of emergency.
• Children should be supervised by an adult at all times. Children under 16 should not be left to supervise younger children. The recommended adult to child ratio is 1:10 if the children are over eight or 1:5 if the children are under eight. You may need to revise this if you are involving children with specific needs or you are tackling a difficult route.
• Avoid children being left alone with one adult, unless this is their parent.
• During the ride, children should be kept in the main body of the group with an adult at the front and back of the ride.
• You should ensure that you have contingencies in case the ride does not go to plan eg, the event is delayed or there is an injury.
• Cycle the route before the day to check it is suitable for the children you have taking part.
• Keep any contact details for children secure. Do not hold on to information about children unnecessarily.
• Abide by the health and safety advice recommended by the NSPCC and ensure your event is as safe as possible.
• If you see or hear anything that makes you feel worried or concerned about a child or someone’s behaviour towards a child, please call the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.
• If you are a child or young person and want to talk about a problem, please call ChildLine on 0800 1111.
• If there are photo/media opportunities planned in advance, please ensure that parents and carers know about them and are happy for their child to be photographed.

Children and fundraising

• The NSPCC recommends that children only fundraise with their parent’s or carer’s permission and are always properly supervised.
• Children should only seek sponsorship from people they know.
• Ensure that when children are gathering sponsorship, people know where they are and who they are with.