Inclusive cycling has become an essential part of accessible sport in Leicester, giving disabled children and adults the chance to experience movement, confidence, and independence through adapted bikes and trikes. Leicester Wheels for All plays a central role in this, offering accessible cycling sessions for disabled riders and creating safe, supported opportunities for people with a wide range of mobility needs. As demand grows for adapted cycling equipment, particularly trikes with postural support, wheelchair‑accessible cycles, and specialist three‑wheel designs, the availability of high‑quality, adjustable bikes has a direct impact on who can take part. Donations of specialist equipment, such as fully supported Tomcat trikes, are helping expand access even further, ensuring that inclusive cycling remains open to the whole community across Leicester and Leicestershire.

Leicester Wheels for All: Inclusive Cycling for Disabled Children and Adults

Leicester Wheels for All is an inclusive cycling programme that has supported disabled children and adults across Leicester and Leicestershire since 2016. Based at Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium, the organisation delivers accessible cycling sessions for the public as well as for special schools, care homes, and local authorities. Its trained session leaders use a diverse fleet of around 50 adapted bikes and trikes, including several Tomcat models such as the Tomcat Fizz and the Apprentice Arrow, to ensure that riders with a wide range of mobility levels and support needs can take part safely and confidently.

A Wide‑Reaching Programme Offering Regular Adapted Cycling Across Leicester

Leicester Wheels for All delivers one of the most wide‑reaching inclusive cycling offers in the region, running around 170 adapted cycling sessions each year across schools, parks, and their base at Saffron Lane Athletics Stadium. Their fleet of approximately 50 adapted bikes and trikes allows the team to support a broad spectrum of riders. School visits typically involve three trained session leaders and a selection of around 12 trikes, enabling three different classes to take part in a single day. Alongside school provision, the organisation runs a popular weekly community session in a Leicester park with an oval track, where attendance can sometimes exceed 150 participants, supported by wheelchair platform bikes, side‑by‑side cycles, and a range of trikes. Additional sessions at the athletics track on alternate Fridays and Sundays further extend access, ensuring that disabled children and adults across Leicester and Leicestershire have regular opportunities to cycle in a safe, supported environment.

Why Specialist Trikes and Adaptive Bikes Are Vital for Inclusive Cycling

Many of the children and adults who take part in Leicester Wheels for All sessions rely on specialist equipment to experience cycling in a way that feels safe, dignified, and genuinely enjoyable. For some riders, simply sitting upright requires full head, chest, or trunk support; for others, balance, coordination, or muscle tone make a standard cycle impossible. Without adapted trikes, these individuals would have no way to join their classmates, friends, or families on the track. Specialist equipment becomes more than a piece of kit, it becomes the difference between watching from the sidelines and being part of the moment. It allows riders to feel the breeze, hear the laughter around them, and take part in an activity that many never imagined would be possible. In every session, the right equipment opens the door to confidence, independence, and joy, making inclusion something real and tangible rather than aspirational.

How Tomcat’s Give and Take Scheme Helps More Disabled Riders Access Supported Cycling

The arrival of the Tomcat trike through Tomcat’s Give and Take Scheme has created a meaningful shift in what Leicester Wheels for All can offer the community. The scheme, which refurbishes pre‑loved Tomcat equipment and redistributes it to organisations that can put it back into active use, ensures that specialist cycles continue to benefit new riders long after they leave their first home. For Leicester Wheels for All, this donation has opened the door to participation for children who were previously unable to ride during school visits.

As the team explains, “Some of the children we support have profound and complex needs. Thanks to a specially donated trike from Tomcat, we’re now able to include riders who require full head, chest, and trunk support, something we couldn’t previously offer on school visits due to equipment limitations. This has made a real difference to inclusion.”

The trike arrived in excellent condition and immediately became one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in their fleet. Its supportive seating, adjustable frame, and removable pads mean it can be used by riders with high support needs as well as those who require less assistance.

As the team notes, “The trike donated by Tomcat is in excellent condition and will become our most valuable bike for children who need additional support… these supportive pads can be transferred to other trikes, giving us greater flexibility across our sessions.”

This flexibility matters deeply in a community setting where every rider’s needs are different, and where the right piece of equipment can determine whether someone is able to take part at all.

Because Leicester Wheels for All runs open‑access sessions, the impact of this donation extends far beyond individual school visits. The trike will be used by children, teenagers, and adults across Leicester and Leicestershire, supporting families who may not otherwise have access to specialist cycles.

As the team puts it, “Because our sessions are open to the public, anyone can turn up and have a go, so having a versatile trike like this one is incredibly valuable. It’s adjustable enough to suit riders from around age 12 right through to adulthood, which makes it one of the most useable trikes in our fleet.”

Through the Give and Take Scheme, a single piece of equipment has become a shared community resource, one that will enable hundreds of riders to experience movement, confidence, and joy over the coming years.