PEDAL power was in full force as a new cycling and walking hub was officially opened.

Families gathered to set the wheels in motion for The Bothy - a kiosk based in Gourock Railway Station which will provide a programme of bike rides, walks, cycle confidence sessions for beginners, bike maintenance classes and inspirational talks.

Shona Morris, who is a project manager from Cycling UK, said she was thrilled to see so many people at the launch.

She said: "I think there's definitely a need for a project like this.

"This will bring together all the walking and cycling organisations in Inverclyde and give them a platform, as they are all trying to achieve the same thing.

"The Bothy is a physical space where people can pop-in and see what's happening with the local groups and find out more information about their routes.

"It will appeal to people who don't live here and local people too."

At the launch visitors enjoyed an opening speech from town councillor Lynne Quinn.

It was followed by short, led rides for adults as well as free access to bikes, advice on local walking and cycling routes, free maps and healthy blended fruit drinks from a smoothie bike.

Meanwhile, young children could learn how to ride a bike thanks to Play on Pedals and bike health checks were carried out.

Police officers were also on hand with road safety advice.

The Bothy, a partnership project run by Cycling UK and funded by 'Smarter Choices Smarter Places' until June 2019, will also be looking for volunteers soon.

To register for these roles go to www.cyclinguk.org/volunteer

The Bothy, a partnership project run by Cycling UK and funded by Smarter Choices, Smarter Places until June 2019, launched on Saturday 5th May in Gourock. The Bothy is the first of its kind, utilising the expertise and knowledge of community organisations currently providing walking and cycling initiatives and activities, and bringing them together to create one cohesive project in an accessible train station kiosk space. The Bothy will focus on encouraging people to walk and cycle more for everyday journeys, to improve health and wellbeing and to assist people in overcoming barriers by improving confidence.

The Bothy will enable an ongoing programme of led bike rides, led walks, adult cycle confidence sessions for beginners, local history walks, bike maintenance sessions, women’s led rides, journey planning sessions, skill swap evenings, inspirational talks and much more. There will be opportunities for individuals to volunteer and become trained in a number of different skilled areas.

The Launch event took place on Saturday 5th May, 10am – 2pm at Gourock Train Station and Gourock Health Centre Car Park. Visitors enjoyed an opening speech from local Councillor, Lynne Quinn followed by short led rides for adults and free access to bikes, access to information on local walking and cycling routes, free maps, healthy blended fruit drinks from the smoothie bike, young children learned how to ride a bike thanks to Play on Pedals, bike health checks via Dr Bike, information on local women’s cycling group, Strathclyde Police - road safety advice on the close pass initiative, Information on local short introductory health walks and longer rambles, cakes and goodies plus lots of fun!

A Project Coordinator will be in post shortly and there will be a comprehensive programme of activities throughout summer and winter. There will also be a host of volunteering opportunities including walk leader, cycle ride leader and general bothy information assistant. To register interest in these roles, go to: https://www.cyclinguk.org/volunteer

For more information; email: thebothyinverclyde@CyclingUK.org – or check us out on the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/inverclydebothy/