We are pleased to share that Newcastle University has been awarded a Gold Cycle Friendly Employer Accreditation from Cycling UK.
The Cycle Friendly Employer (CFE) accreditation is an internationally recognised standard for promoting active travel in the workplace. Organisations are assessed and can achieve a Bronze, Silver or Gold accreditation – and we are proud to have achieved gold!
The assessment looks at everything from an organisation’s cycling facilities and infrastructure to workplace culture and policies, all focused on making it easier for colleagues to cycle to and from work.
Professor Jane Robinson, PVC of Business, Partnerships & Place and the Executive Board lead for sustainability said: “The Gold Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation recognises the progress we have made to date in enabling active travel at Newcastle University and supports our commitment to be sustainable in all that we do. As someone who regularly cycles to work, I know the difference this initiative has made and hope it will encourage more people to travel sustainably in the future.”
Some of our key initiatives that contributed to the gold accreditation include:
- Our bi-weekly Dr Bike sessions
- Our bike repair stands on the city and Helix campuses
- Our extensive network of Sheffield stands and secure stores
- Provision of the Cycle Scheme
- Our partnerships with local charities and organisations that support cycle commuting in Newcastle, including WATBike and Cycling UK
- Our active Bicycle Users Group on Microsoft Teams (you can join today)
Dr Alistair Ford, Senior Lecturer in the School of Engineering and member of the University’s Sustainability Committee and Bicycle User Group, said: “The Gold Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation is a recognition of the hard work that the University is doing to enable staff and students to travel sustainably to campus. The accreditation demonstrates great progress but importantly it also requires continual improvement to ensure more colleagues feel able to cycle in the future. We will continue to work on our own campus, and in partnership with the City Council and with organisations in Newcastle, to enable more people to get to work, study, or visit by bike.”
Find out more!
If you would like to learn more about sustainable travel at Newcastle University, you can have a read of the Sustainable Campus website, email us or give our brand new LinkedIn a follow at NCL_SustainableCampus.
We look forward to continuing to work with Cycle Friendly Employer so we can learn from the organisation and expand our support for active travel commuters!