The exciting, accessible and unique facility was completed in early 2020 and has been buzzing with recreational use by riders of all ages and abilities from across the city ever since. It has been great to see the variety of wheels - from balance bikes and BMXs to skateboards and scooters utilising the facility over the past year, showing how inclusive and accessible the track truly is. The track design, built by specialists Velosolutions, is thrilling and distinctive ensuring that everyone in the local community can get the most out of riding each berm, tabletop or roller. 

Over the past year the track has become an important resource and asset for those in the local community heading out for their daily exercise. Traffic counters installed on site have shown that since February 2020 there have been over 90,000 single uses of Hartcliffe Pump Track, with 15,000 in July 2020 alone. Physical activity and cycling have been of the utmost importance during a tough year and the track was able to offer a safe and exciting place for people from the local community to ride, increasing cycling confidence and skill level.

    

The track is open for the public to use recreationally and will also become home to a brand-new volunteer led community cycling club, Hartcliffe BMX Club. The club has been supplied with all essential equipment to run regular organised sessions including school sessions, after school sessions, female specific BMXercise (including Teen and Mini), disability inclusive Wingz sessions, as well as outreach sessions with local schools, organisations and community groups. The aim will be for the hub to provide a wide range of accessible and inclusive activities for all in the community. 

To read more about the steps taken to develop Hartcliffe Pump Track and the progress to develop Hartcliffe BMX Club view the document below

After a year of recreational use of the facility and as restrictions lift, Access Sport ran a small soft launch of the facility during the Easter holidays. The sessions were hugely popular, with 23 attendees split across the three sessions (beginner, intermediate and all abilities). The soft launch gave young people from the local community the opportunity to use a BMX, learn to ride the pump track and increase their cycling proficiency. Thank you to British Cycling, Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership, FixX Bikes and Young Bristol for your support for this soft launch.

    

We look forward to seeing more sessions being run on this facility as the track and club develops into a thriving community cycling hub over the coming weeks and months. 

Lucy Fisher, Development Manager at Access Sport said 'We are delighted to see this excellent facility in Hartcliffe being using so regularly by all ages, abilities and wheeled sports over the past year. We hope this facility will be a brilliant asset for the local community and will continue to inspire local people to get on their bikes and get active. Coaching and equipment will be provided to help riders overcome any barriers to participation. The club will offer a multitude of opportunities for the local community to get involved through participation, coaching and volunteering.'

Thank you to the support of Access Sport, Bristol City Council, Churngold via Entrust, HSBC and the Places to Ride Programme which is being delivered by British Cycling, Sport England and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) who enable this development to go ahead and become an outstanding facility for Hartcliffe and Bristol as a whole. 

Bristol City Council's Sport and Physical Activity Development Manager, Guy Fishbourne, said 'We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Access Sport to deliver this fantastic community facility. Providing the opportunity and environment for residents of all ages and abilities to be physically active, this new facility will not only help people lead active and healthy lives but also the opportunity to get involved in voluntary work to support the exciting new Hartcliffe BMX club.'  

Ruth Miller, Lead Cycling Delivery Manager - Southern Regions at British Cycling said "We are working really hard with Access Sport and Bristol City Council on the ground, through local relationship building, outreach sessions and engagement events, to ensure that this facility is really accessed and loved by the local community. We are also working to help identify, train, nurture and develop a new cohort of coaches and leaders at the sire to help embed a new club and give it the best chance to thrive."

To find out more about what is happening or how to get involved please find @HartcliffeBMX on Facebook or click here. 

Photos from the launch - use the arrows to click through...