Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has presented cycling proficiency certificates to pupils at Killean Primary School in County Armagh. The children had completed the Department for Infrastructure’s Cycling Proficiency Scheme.

The scheme is open to all primary and special schools in Northern Ireland. It is delivered by schoolteachers, with the Department providing teaching resources, instructor training and support.

This financial year the Minister allocated £90,000 to the programme. More than 290 schools subsequently expressed an interest in participating.

The course teaches children how to cycle safely and with confidence. Participants learn to carry out various manoeuvres, to look and listen while cycling, and to check their helmets and bicycles. They are also taught the proper use of gears and how to recognise potential hazards on the road.

Minister Kimmins said cycling is a healthy mode of travel and that children should learn its benefits and how to cycle safely from an early age. She described the scheme as a valuable tool for preparing young people to make good road safety decisions.