LCC’s Local Group Legends
Sam Stephenson meets just a few of the LCC volunteers going above and beyond for cycling in their boroughs!
Sam Stephenson meets just a few of the LCC volunteers going above and beyond for cycling in their boroughs!
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Most LCC members interact with their local group in the form of a ride or event, or perhaps by emailing about a particular issue you’d like investigated. But the story of what our volunteers do all year round is far greater than that.
It’s planning meetings with councillors, creating content for social media, launching petitions, writing to MPs, planning ride routes, putting on training for ride marshals, handing out flyers, engaging with the public, and so much more.
Plus, for many, all of this is being done alongside full-time jobs, parenting and everything else that comes up.
Cycling in London is safer because of the work they do; more people, particularly families, feel confident to make local journeys by bike, because of group rides they’ve joined.
So to shine a light on this vital work, we caught up with seven groups to find out more about what they do and what they’ve got planned for 2026.
Suzanne (centre) and Roger (fourth from left) celebrating London Loves Cycling
When it comes to giving credit for the growing popularity for families cycling in Kingston, it’s hard to look past Suzanne and Roger.
From the ‘bread pudding’ rides — a staple of the group’s calendar for more than 30 years — to the recent seasonal family-friendly rides, the group has helped show local people the cycling potential in their borough.
“When I first got involved, I could see there was a need to put something on to get more families cycling locally,” said Suzanne.
“And since starting the family-friendly rides, we’re speaking to more and more parents who, before riding with us, wouldn’t have thought about taking their children out on their bikes.”
“It’s nice seeing both new and familiar faces coming along,” added Roger, “and the rides are a great advert for what a truly cycle-friendly Kingston could look like.” Indeed, the group has been proactive in getting a variety of local politicians on the rides.
“Having MPs or councillors come along has been great, because not only are they seeing the demand for cycling, but we’re also able to plan routes that show areas where they could really make a difference to the infrastructure,” said Suzanne.
“Plus, I know for a fact there’s a councillors’ WhatsApp group, and those who come on our rides are always sharing pictures and videos, so it all helps reinforce the fact that cycling in Kingston is growing.”
So, looking ahead to the rest of 2026, is it going to be more of the same?
“Certainly,” said Roger, “but we’re also planning more rides that venture outside the borough, with our next ride potentially taking in four different areas, to again try and maximise political impact, and show locals the wider cycling possibilities.”
Suzanne (left) ahead of another Kentish Town Pedals ride
While this feature puts a variety of local groups’ rides and events in the spotlight, Kentish Town Pedals, run by the Camden group, is quite unique.
Organised by Suzanne Weller, the rides are not only open for the public to join, but are also recommended to patients on the NHS.
“The idea came about from two GPs in Kentish Town, who cycled themselves, and wanted to take some of their patients out on a ride,” said Suzanne. “They then got in touch with LCC, who reached out to us, and the next thing we knew we had a ride created and we were off.
We keep the routes at about five miles, so the perfect length for someone who might be just coming back to cycling, which is the case for most of the patients who get prescribed to come.”
For Suzanne, the benefits of being recommended for a ride such as theirs are clear to see: “We get people coming out who might be dealing with loneliness, stress, or a long-term health condition, and just being part of a community group can sometimes be transformational.
“For me personally, it’s also really nice to meet all these people from different backgrounds and make a connection with them through cycling.”
The rides serve as a reminder of the need for good safe cycling infrastructure too. “That’s fundamental,” added Suzanne, “because if participants only feel safe riding with the group, they won’t cycle independently and seethe real benefits.”
Another measure of the success of the scheme has been that this year they hope to launch another ride in Kilburn. “Things have worked so well with the project in Kentish Town, that it made sense to start seeing where we could replicate it, and Kilburn seems the perfect place.
“It’s going to start as a six-month experiment, but the hope is that it can prove the success of the model, and then who knows where things might go from there.”
Bruce in typical ride leader attire, showing a group the sights
A volunteer with Southwark Cyclists since 2011, Bruce has been integral to the flourishing ride scene in the borough.
Indeed, last year saw him organise (and, in many cases, lead) 99 rides!
“The secret to a great ride is to make it accessible and sociable,” said Bruce. “For all our rides, you’re guaranteed a coffee break, and with that comes the chance to meet some great people, and see parts of the borough that might have passed you by before.
“As for hitting just under 100 rides last year, once we settled into the routine of two a week, I knew we’d get close, so it made for a very satisfying end total.”
But Bruce is also determined to make sure Southwark has more than enough marshals and ride leaders to keep the local events ticking along.
“Once the rides got more popular, I started getting a few people asking if they could lead or just marshal one or two, which I was more than happy to encourage. But while marshal courses are often held, the same wasn’t the case for ride leader ones.
“So, with the help of LCC, I hosted my own course and opened it up to anyone in London.
“Right from the first one we had people from all over, so they’ve been great to put on throughout the year.”
It goes without saying that organising at least two rides a week, along with training, isn’t easy, so what keeps Bruce hooked?
“It’s an addictive feeling,” he said, “getting to the end of a ride and seeing smiling people thanking and clapping you, who wouldn’t want to keep going back to that?
“Which is why I always encourage people, once they’ve come on a ride with us and enjoyed it, to think about getting involved more, because it really is so rewarding when you do.”
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Yahia (far right) and Emile (far left) along with the rest of the Tower Hamlets group, post ride
Over in Tower Hamlets, two of LCC’s newest volunteers, Emile and Yahia, have already been making strides for safer cycling in the borough.
“I’ve always been quite climate anxious, and I love cycling, so when I heard about the Tower Hamlets LCC group, I thought it would be a great way to bring about some positive local action,” said Emile, the group’s secretary.
“Having moved from Oxford to London, I was also looking for a connection to my community, and to meet some new interesting people.”
“It’s a similar story for me,” said Yahia, the group’s coordinator, “I joined because I wanted to make a difference, and a lot of the problems in the world can be solved through smaller, local changes.”
But as they both soon found out, making headway in your area can take time. “I did think, when I first got involved, that it would be easier to make an impact,” said Emile. “I hoped there would be a few more open doors politically, but that’s all been part of my learning experience.”
“Going into the group, I didn’t have any preconceived notions,” said Yahia, “but what’s been a nice surprise is how welcoming everyone has been, and how, even though there are a lot of different opinions, being able to communicate with everyone to find common ground is something we could all benefit from doing.”
While work in Tower Hamlets is challenging currently, this just emphasises why it’s important — and being part of an organised group makes it possible to challenge a council, for example.
“At times it might seem like we’re pushing on locked doors, but that’s no reason to simply give up,” said Yahia, “we can still work to grow cycling in the community, and build awareness of its many benefits.”
“Regardless of how May’s local elections go, if we’re going to grow cycling our area, we need to be thinking long-term, and to have a foundation in place of people showing the demand for safer cycling.”
Anne-Claire (right) picks up the Above the Noise Award at the 2024 LCC Campaign Awards
When you look at the discourse around cycling online, it can seem a very negative space, and at times one full of anger and discontent.
All of this made the recent series of videos by LCC’s Wandsworth group on why children and young people like to cycle seem like a breath of fresh air.
The campaigner behind the camera was Anne-Claire.
“One of the reasons I took up the project was the same reason why I first got involved with the local group,” she said. “Children at my son’s school were banned from cycling; a decision I couldn’t get my head around.
“I knew I needed help to fight this, so I found the Wandsworth group, and while we couldn’t change the headteacher’s mind, volunteering with the group has been a really rewarding experience.”
While the headteacher remained firm, the group still thought that it was important to give the young people themselves a voice in why they should be allowed to cycle.
“When Celia [Duncan], our coordinator, mentioned about doing some videos with teenagers, I had this experience with the school in the back of my mind,” said Anne-Claire.
“I started reaching out to other parents of teenagers who like to cycle, and soon enough we had a great list of interviewees.
“What was so nice, right from the first interview, were the reasons they gave for choosing cycling — it was all so relatable to someone of any age, mixed in with very normal teenage things, like just wanting to ride because of the freedom it gives them.”
The videos proved popular, with the positive message cutting through to locals and beyond.
Indeed, in a borough where safe cycling is far from the council’s main priority (Wandsworth still has the single most dangerous junction for cycling), all voices of support for active travel are needed if positive change is going to come from the May local elections.
Karen (centre) and Jonathan (right) collect the Campaigner of the Year Award at the 2025 Campaign Awards
2025 saw Newham Council crowned ‘most improved’ by the Healthy Streets scorecard team, recognising the transformation that has taken place to make cycling safer in the borough.
Huge credit for this deserves to go to the local LCC group, with volunteers Karen and Jonathan being integral members.
“It felt extraordinary as campaigners to hear that the changes we’d all pushed for had been recognised,” said Jonathan, “it’s a testament to years of campaigning by many volunteers, and the ambition we’re seeing from council officers.”
But for those of us who don’t ride through the borough, what is the cycling picture there?
“Safety is very inconsistent,” said Karen. “We have some fantastic infrastructure — for example, CS2 and 3, and the Royal Docks corridor — but we also have areas with no protection for cycling, like East Ham.”
Clearly then, the work is far from over when it comes to bringing Newham up to standard on cycle safety, and the group are aware of this.
“It’s important for us to keep building regular partnerships with other groups and schools, because you’re effectively helping to build coalitions of people willing to advocate for active travel,” said Jonathan.
“Consistency in your messaging is also key; I’ve been advocating for improvements to Westfield Avenue since 2017, so seeing that finally become a reality a decade later is a really great feeling!”
Of course, the local elections in May aren’t far from any of our volunteers’ minds and for Karen and Jonathan they see 2026 as a year to push the council to go even further. “It’s no secret that a lot of campaigning is the domain of folks who are older, more affluent, and tend to own their own homes — which is why the pro-driving lobby is so good at making noise!
But this doesn’t reflect the reality of our home borough,” said Jonathan. “We’ll continue to spread the word that cycling is a cheap and convenient mode of transport, and the new infrastructure in Newham is making it much safer,” said Karen.
The Mayor of Harrow drops by one of Harrow Cycle Hub’s many rides
If you cycle in Harrow, chances are you’ve already heard of the Harrow Cycle Hub, run by the local LCC group’s Veronica Chamberlin.
“The genesis of the hub came from the pandemic, and the cycle lanes that were put in temporarily when there were no cars on the road,” said Veronica.
“But because Harrow is so car dominated, when things got back to normal the council stripped back all this new infrastructure, resulting in many people stopping cycling altogether, because they lacked confidence on the busier roads.
“We found this to be the case particularly with women from south Asian communities. An amazing woman, Ifat Tejani, also recognised this problem, and with her help we got a £4,000 grant from British Cycling, to start the Cycle Hub and start teaching.”
It was then at this point that Caroline first became involved. “I was looking for new volunteering opportunities,” said Caroline, “and Veronica mentioned they could do with some help with the communications side of things, which I was more than happy to give.”
What kind of services and sessions does the Cycle Hub provide now?
“One of our most popular events is the one we run with Wheels for All, where we provide adapted cycles to be ridden around the Civic Centre,” said Veronica. “Last year we had over 1,200 attendees, with the sessions operating every week weather permitting.”
“We also have our led rides,” said Caroline, “which saw 1,800 people join in 2025, alongside various mechanics’ courses, plus the seasonal events we put on at Easter, Christmas and Diwali.”
At the heart of the Harrow Cycle Hub is the local LCC group, something Veronica is keen to stress. “The Hub is very much a child of Harrow Cyclists,” she said. “We all wanted to do more to teach people to ride, and through that aim the Hub was created.
“Now, it’s grown beyond the local group, but it’s still very intertwined. Even from the campaigning side, I’m on the Harrow Council traffic and road safety advisory panel, representing both parties’ interests for more safe cycling infrastructure in the borough.”
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