A SCHEME to get Bridgwater cycling has secured £73,000 in funding from EDF.

On Your Bike is a social enterprise which recycles used bicycles and sells them back to the community.

The project aims to provide work placements and training for vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals in bike mechanics, retail, office management and premises management to enable them to access pathways to employment.

The organisation has been running successfully in Taunton and manager Lucy Workman says Bridgwater is the ideal place to expand.

"I have lived near Bridgwater for 30 years and we all know the population and traffic is increasing," Mrs Workman said.

"We hope that we can encourage more people to get on their bikes.

"Bridgwater has a good history of cycling, for example the majority of workers at the Cellophane factory over the years would cycle in - the town also has a good topography for cycling.

"Bridgwater is a resilient town that has a lot going for it. We are currently in negotiation with the town council to secure a premises in the town centre which would be ideal for our purposes."

The project will also provide local employment, open access bicycle maintenance training, second hand bicycle market, organised and supported rides and confidence building sessions.

The hope is that this will allow Bridgwater residents to take advantage of the employment and opportunities available at Hinkley C and compliments the new Bridgwater Way cycle route.

"Our Taunton workshop has around 200 bikes for sale at any one time, 99 per cent of which will have been donated," Mrs Workman explained.

The average price of a bike is about £80.

The £73,000 from the Hinkley C Community Impact Mitigation fund (CIM), accounts for 30 per cent of the total project costs and has also secured £30,000 match funding from The Fore Trust.

The CIM fund board agreed that the project provided additional benefits and social value to the community alongside the ability to mitigate impacts of increased transport in the area.

The decision was agreed unanimously by West Somerset Council at its Annual Meeting held on Thursday, May 17.