The University's sports service, Sussexsport, has received grant funding of nearly £4,000 to help them deliver weekly mountain bike classes and rides for staff and students.

From the summer term, Sussexsport will be running social lunchtime rides from 1 to 2pm on Mondays and Fridays, as well as Wednesday evening rides from 5.30 to 6.30pm. Helmets and bikes are provided.

All rides can be booked at the Sport Centre reception. Lunchtime and evening rides are free for all gold and silver members, and cost £3.50 for staff and £3 for students who are bronze members, or £5 for non-members. 

A three-hour ride on Saturday 25 June will be the first of regular weekend rides, which are free to gold and silver members.

Bike Club - a national organisation set up to encourage cycling among young people - is also providing an additional £12,000 to fund a project that will benefit disadvantaged young people in Brighton and Hove. 

For the last few months Sussexsport has been working with the Tarnerland Children and Young Peoples Project (TCYPP) and Bike Club on the project, which provides opportunities to build health and resilience through mountain biking. 

TCYPP and Bike Club approached Sussexsport to see if there was any possibility of using the University, given its proximity to the Downs, as a base to store some bikes. 

Karen Creffield, Head of Sport, says: "It soon became clear that this was a fantastic opportunity to work together not only to support disadvantaged young people but also provide a brilliant additional resource for our staff and students to enjoy and use.  

"The combined support from Bike Club and the enthusiasm and generosity of our staff to take this forward has made this an incredibly exciting project." 

Seven of the Sussexsport team will be giving up their Easter holidays to complete a three-day course led by the CTC (the UK's national cyclists' organisation) on campus to train as 'trail leaders', allowing them to lead the bike rides. They will also be trained in first-aid and bike maintenance.

An additional part of the project will see Sussexsport strengthen their widening participation work, enabling students and pupils from local schools to enjoy cycling even if they don't have access to a bike.

Sussexsport staff have committed to helping the wider project by volunteering hours to support local youth groups using the bikes.  The Students' Union mountain bike club has also been actively involved and will be training four club members as trail leaders.

For further information on the project contact Karen Creffield by emailing k.creffield@sussex.ac.uk

For details of weekly and weekend rides go to the Sussexsport website or contact Sussexsport reception on 01273 877215.