Station South | Providing a perfect pitstop for people to share, grow, fix and ride
Success Story: Station South
188 EVENTS AND WORKSHOPS CENTRED AROUND ACTIVE TRAVEL AND NATURE
1,285 PARTICIPANTS IN GROUP CYCLE RIDES
Station South– a combination of destination cycle café, bicycle workshop and urban garden – is a pioneering active travel and community hub in Levenshulme.
Formed in 2017 by a group of local residents and cyclists, the café is connected to the 8km Fallowfield Loop, making it an important pitstop for active journeys in South Manchester.
A huge variety of activities and events take place throughout the year, including cycling lessons for adults and bike maintenance workshops. Workshops are also brought to people in neighbouring communities on an electric trailer.
The Station South Cycle Club arranges group rides for all abilities, from family and beginner sessions all the way to paced distance events.
Meanwhile, the café’s gardens also play host to growing and nature workshops, combining nature walks along the Fallowfield Loop with practical gardening tasks.
In total, nearly 2,000 people took part in Station South’s rides, workshops and events in 2023.
“The benefits of our cycling and garden related projects seem to be endless, ranging from reducing social exclusion, to massively improved health and social benefits, to a slow but steady change in the reduction of congestion on the local streets.
“There's a lot of financial deprivation in the area so enabling cycling [a relatively low cost transport option] seems like a no-brainer. We also have bicycles that low income households borrow on a regular basis.”
Anna Smith, Community Coordinator at Station South