A BIKE group has been given a boost with a donation from a water company to help them promote cycling as a regular mode of transport.

Aquabio has given nearly £1,000 to Bike Worcester, which aims to find ways to make it easier and safer for more people to cycle around the city.

The £975.03 was raised through Aquabio’s SHIFT scheme - where the firm agrees to give 2.5p per km its employees travel by bicycle over a year to a worthy cause.

Terry McCarthy, managing director of Aquabio said “The SHIFT scheme has transformed the way we think about transport at Aquabio. Using a bike to travel to the office, to construction sites or to meetings is now seen as a normal activity, and we’re seeing our team then using bikes more in their personal lives. As a result, year on year we are seeing more employees choosing to travel by bike."

More than 1,000 Aquabio commutes took place by bicycle over the year, mostly from Worcester to its head office in Hallow, to an office in Stirling, and from Boston in Lincolnshire to an operational site at Cucina Sano.

There were also longer commutes to the office from places as far afield as Malvern, Wednesbury, Cannock, West Bromwich and Rowley Regis. A number of employees also combined travelling by train with cycling.

In 2019 Aquabio employees travelled a combined total of 39,001 km by bike to raise the money.

Lyndon Bracewell, of Bike Worcester, said: “We are delighted to receive the money from Aquabio, and recognise the benefit the scheme is having on the wider society in Worcester by taking cars off the roads. This is a clear example of how modal shift in transport is possible on a local level, where the activity is enabled and encouraged. At Bike Worcester we’re happy to support other local companies to make the SHIFT, or support their employees in other ways, and would welcome the Worcester community to get in touch.”