RideLondon cycling festival gives £1 million boost to Essex

Credit: PA
A peloton from the 2019 RideLondon Credit: PA

Essex will receive £1m in funding thanks to a cycling festival arriving in the county.

RideLondon will be in the county for the first time this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, and with it comes the new funding to inspire activity across the area.

The funding will come from The London Marathon Charitable Trust and will go towards promoting active travel by making journeys by walking or cycling, in schools and communities.

There are also plans to expand the Essex Pedal Power programme to make cycling more accessible for everyone.

Catherine Anderson, executive director at The London Marathon Charitable Trust, said: "Essex is a brand-new core funding area for us, and we're thrilled to be able to award up to £1m as part of our new funding strategy, and to celebrate the new partnership between Essex and RideLondon.

"Organisations and groups across Essex are already doing fantastic work to help more people have greater access to sport and physical activities, and we can't wait to see the impact our partnership with Active Essex and The Active Essex Foundation will have over the next year."

RideLondon in the past has visited places like Box Hill in Surrey Credit: PA Images

Councillor Lee Scott, Essex County Council's cabinet member for Sustainable Transport, said: "We are delighted that through our partnership with RideLondon, Essex County Council has been able to unlock more funding to support cycling, sport and physical activity across the county.

"This funding from The London Marathon Charitable Trust will lead to healthier communities and supports our Safer, Greener, Healthier Active Travel plans to make walking and cycling more accessible to Essex residents."

The cash will allow the organisations to award grants.

Stage One of the cycling festival starts in Promenade Park in Maldon on Friday. Stage Two then starts at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford, on Saturday and heads north before returning south through Great Dunmow and towards Epping.

On Sunday, Essex will welcome more than 20,000 amateur cyclists taking on one of three challenge rides, each starting from central London.

The 100-mile event finishes on London's Tower Bridge.