We love cycles and we love people’s cycle stories. Our Staff and Trustees share our passion, and we wanted to share it with you too!
Our Cycle Stories is a new blog series devoted to introducing you to our wonderful team, and the diverse and varied ways that cycling has become an enriching part of their lives.
What is your name, and what do you do at Wheels for Wellbeing?
My name is Mark Browne and I am the Cycling Operations Manager. I oversee, manage and support the delivery of participatory cycling by all people – whether this is because they are disabled, or excluded from cycling for other reasons- and to encourage cycling participation via the sessions that we run throughout South London on every day of the week!
What has been your career trajectory; how did you come to end up working at WfW?
I’ve been a cyclist all my life and during my previous career, which was in social housing, I was fortunate to be be able to volunteer for cycling roles, either disabilities sports coaching or within the Special Olympic movement. Then I was given the opportunity to actually work within the special educational environment, and that led me to pursuing mostly cycling roles through that specialism. So longtime work with various inclusive cycling organisations, and I’m now with Wheels for Wellbeing, which is my local inclusive organisation. So very happy to be here because of that reason.
Do you use a cycle? What/how/where?
I cycle always and everything. It helps stop me from being really grumpy. If people ask me to drive, I get quite angry. So I commute, I do leisure rides, I just enjoy cycling.
What does cycling mean to you, and your overall wellbeing?
It means everything to me. Elation. Meditation. Tranquility. Yeah, it just offers me an opportunity to get where I need to be, whether that is a place of pleasure, recreation, or work. And in the most effective calm and peaceful way possible, whilst affording me a chance to reflect and see my place and definitely connect with the world around me. I am spiritual. I was raised Catholic, but my interpretation of faith has now become far more one with nature and overall creation.
Do you have a favourite session, route, or adventure?
Yeah, I love the North Downs. Road or Off-Road. People don’t realise how close it is. I live in Croydon, which is considered a metropolitan part of London, but we are just 10 or 15 minutes cycle from country lanes, and accessing the top of the North Downs, which will give you views to the city in the North and the South Downs Way, in the South. And it’s just got some great off-road cycling opportunities, and on-road challenges, and some very challenging routes you can choose to do if you wish. And it’s on London’s doorstep.
I also love Chiddingstone in Kent. It’s been a regular haunt for all my cycling. I’ve used it in various roles.
There’s a beautiful cafe in Chiddingstone village, and they’re great with young people with special needs. Very supportive. I take my special needs groups there and allow them to do their independent education. Essentially I just sit there and eat really nice cake while they interact and learn life skills through cycling, which is one of my philosophies: that cycling can be a route, a kind of transport, into so much learning if we utilise it correctly.
Is there anything that you think WfW does better than anyone else?
Yeah, definitely. It’s a Disability-Led Organisation (DLO), or Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO), so lead with empathy and lived experience, I do feel working for an organisation with true integrity really matters to me in terms of both my colleagues and my boss, you know, and its direction is really important. It’s like, I am reluctant to work for an organisation that’s not led by those who we represent.
If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in #ActiveTravel #InclusiveCycling to benefit Disabled people, their mobility, and their wellbeing?
Reduce the cost of cycles. Cost is just so prohibitive. I mean, so much of cycling is a real sort of ‘boys’ toys’, sort of pastime. But it shouldn’t be that way. There should be access, you know, like our Wheels4Me London scheme should be as big and well-known as Santander and Lime bikes. There should be that accessibility within London and in other areas of Britain. Easy, affordable access, so true choices, as opposed to having to find £10,000 to buy the vehicle.
With increased participation comes better infrastructure. I’ve cycled to work all my life and cycled to school as a child in London. I used to ride from, well, just outside Bromley to Marylebone, every day, and I knew everybody on a bicycle. Now I know nobody, and there are hundreds of us, 1000s of us. If I was to do that journey now, I would easily see 500 cycles in rush hour, compared to a handful of people that would have been there in the 80s.
I think, yeah, sometimes we can’t be patient. Especially for the Disabled Community, we can’t be patient. Things need to happen quicker!