Happy birthday to the hub that gets Falkirk people active

The project, run by charity Forth Environment Link, encourages locals to ditch the car in favour of more active and greener modes of transport such as walking and cycling.

Mr Matheson said: “It’s a privilege to join the Falkirk Active Travel Hub in celebrating their first year of successful operation. Almost 4000 people have benefited from support and information to make more sustainable travel choices and I am pleased to hear how the Hub has helped support people back into walking and cycling.”

During his visit Mr Matheson, who is the Scottish Government’s transport minister, revealed that he’d been so impressed when he tried one of the Hub’s e-bikes that he has since bought his own.

Hub Coordinator, Ray Burr added: “The Hub has been extremely busy in its first year delivering a wide range of active travel activities and events, from organised walks to e-bike tasters. The fact that we have already engaged with almost 4000 people locally is amazing. We’re looking forward to continuing this work in 2019 with a programme of outreach activities designed to encourage even more people in Falkirk to walk and cycle more!”

The Hub has also been working closely with Central Scotland Regional Equality Council (CSREC) to tackle transport poverty in Falkirk. At the end of the birthday bash, a bike donated to the Hub and serviced by the team was presented to CSREC to be passed onto a local teen in need.

Arun Gopinath, CSREC manager said: “We are delighted to be working with Falkirk Active Travel Hub to create better outcomes for people facing inequalities. The partnership has allowed us to promote cycling amongst our service users and help them become more active through initiatives like the electric bike library and donation bikes.”