Staff
Head office (Bristol)
Ed - Chief Executive
Ed started his career in financial services – and first got involved with Life Cycle UK as a volunteer in 2011. He soon joined the staff – starting as Fundraising & Marketing Officer then as Development Manager – and has helped the charity to triple in size. He has secured contracts with 10 Local Authorities plus the Ministry of Justice, over £1m from Charitable Trusts & Foundations and helped rapidly scale-up income from social enterprise activities. He became CEO in January 2020. Ed is an alumni of Common Purpose, a Clore Social Leadership fellow and sits on the Nationwide Foundation’s South West Community Board.
Huda – Development Officer
Huda worked in policy and fundraising for 5 years in the United States, Pakistan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. She developed and fundraised for a campaign in Pakistan to eliminate street harassment by providing women with free training and discounts on bicycles and motorcycles. She joined Life Cycle in 2020 to help more people transform their lives through cycling. Huda’s fondest cycling memory is from when she was 6: having newly learnt to ride a bike, she borrowed one from a friend, fell in a freezing-cold kid’s pool, but quickly jumped out and continued riding as if nothing had happened. .Becky - Marketing Lead
Becky moved to Bristol after graduating from the School of Oriental and African Studies. Here she made the third sector her home, working in “voice and influence”, then Policy. She joined Life Cycle in 2016 as a Fundraising and Marketing Assistant and now oversees all of Life Cycle's marketing and communications. Converted by horrific traffic queues, overpriced transport and a flagging metabolism, Becky now cycles to work every day and can even be spotted on the odd leisure ride.
Katie - Data and Information Lead
Inclusive Cycling team (Bristol)
Viv – “Bike Minded” Coordinator
Julie – "Cycle Buddies" and "Over 55s" Coordinator
Julie had an early entry into cycling: at age two, a misjudged descent on her trike took her into coalhole, resulting in two black eyes. She has since honed her cycling skills and whenever possible combines her passions for travel and cycling. Julie spent time in the corporate world, before gaining a degree in Environmental Management, then many years in the charity sector. She joined Life Cycle UK in 2009 to help older people to feel happier, healthier and more socially vibrant as they age.
Bernadette – “Take a Stand”® Coordinator
Robin – “Two's Company” Co-ordinator & Cycle Instructor
Robin worked at Sustrans in the early years of the National Cycle Network, mostly managing grant programmes, but these days prefers the practical approach. He is never happier than when teaching kids or adults to cycle, or training-up new instructors. When not instructing he will be planning or leading tandem rides for visually impaired adults and children. Robin first became involved with Life Cycle as a volunteer “front rider” for our “Two’s Company” project. He joined the staff team in July 2015.
tandemrides@lifecycleuk.org.uk
Chrissie – “Bike Generation” Coordinator & Cycle Training Coordinator (Swindon)
Chrissie is passionate about travelling and loves exploring places by bike - a joy clearly shared by her family: She cycled with her son from Bristol to London when he was just eight years old! Chrissie first became involved with Life Cycle as a volunteer, supporting the “Bike Minded” group rides. In 2015, she joined the “Bike Back” team at HMP Bristol to help run the bike recycling scheme and six months later she took over the delivery of Life Cycle's Youth project. More recently she has coordinated Life Cycle’s contract to provide cycle training to children in schools throughout Swindon. Oh, and she is currently hatching a plan for the cycling next trip with her son!
Davva - “Bike Generation” Youth Worker
Davva has had a lifelong love of cycling: from when he got his first bike at four years old (a blue “Dido” with rod brakes), to his current black “Revolution” touring bike (used for everything from commuting to work to transporting sofas). Not only does he see the bike’s ability to benefit people on a personal level, but he also agrees with Peter Walker that, “Cycling can save the world”. He started work with Life Cycle as a Bikeability instructor but soon branched out into fixing and selling bikes. Now Davva uses his skills to encourage and empower young people from Southmead and Lockleaze to start cycling, keep cycling and love cycling.
Cycle training team (West of England)
Jacqui - Training Manager
Jacqui loves the outdoors and is passionate about helping people to discover the benefits of cycling. With a background in training, management and youth work, she started out at Life Cycle as a Cycle Instructor in 2011 and has since worked across several projects: ‘Bike Generation’, cycle instructing and ride leading. She became the Training Manager in 2012. Jacqui is involved in developing the National Standard for Cycle Training and Bikeability and currently sits on the Bikeability Effectiveness Advisory Group with The Bikeability Trust. Jacqui also helped introduce the new 1st4Sport Cycle Instructor Training Awards to enable Life Cycle UK to become a Recognised Delivery Centre.
Frances – Cycle Training Co-ordinator (Bristol & North Somerset)
In 1992 Frances moved to 'sunny' Bristol from not-so-sunny west Scotland. With a career in retail hospitality management, she moved into training and development in 1997. After a stint on the US West Coast she returned to Bristol to start a family. Teaching her children to ride bikes made her realise that she couldn't herself - an issue she quickly resolved! She finds her role of helping schools and adults to engage in cycle training and build skills for life very rewarding.
Tess – Cycle Trainer and Cycle Projects Administrator
Throughout her life Tess has seen the benefits of cycling and has developed a utilitarian attitude towards it. When volunteering with ‘Bath Gateway Out’ and ‘About Club,’ day trips to ‘Wheels for All’ were her favourite. Tess began working for Life Cycle UK in Swindon as a Cycle Instructor, where she helped develop Bikeability Balance practice. Now in Bristol, Tess continues to teach Bikeability alongside supporting the training team in an admin role. Tess also publishes zines. ‘Things You Can See On a Bike: a Diabetic Journal’ tells the story of her first bike packing trip with her brother and diabetes.
Bike Back Bristol
Tamar - Project Manager, Bike Back Bristol
A utility cyclist for much of her life, Tamar took up cycle touring after moving to Japan. After cycling the length and breadth of the country during her three-year stay, she returned to the UK in 2000 fired up with the joys of cycling. She joined Life Cycle UK in 2001 to set up our cycle training programme and was a member of the Reference Group that created the new National Standards for cycle training. Tamar manages our bike recycling project in Bristol.
John – Lead Workshop Instructor (Prisons Projects Manager)
John joined Life Cycle in 2013 to teach bike mechanics inside HMP Bristol. From art to bike mechanics, John has had a varied teaching career: He’s worked with adults with learning difficulties and prisoners of all ages for over 25 years. An accomplished athlete competing at National and International level, John is never happier than when riding or racing his bike. John is still competing and has reached a new category of “Super Vet”… Although he’s not quite sure how super he feels now he’s reached 50! John has a passion for teaching and learning and massively values working for a charity that is striving to transform lives through cycling.
john.russell@lifecycleuk.org.uk
Emma – Prison Workshop Instructor
Rich - Volunteer Co-ordinator
Rich started his working life as an audiologist, then spent 10 years as a primary school teacher. In 2010, he decided to turn his lifelong love of bikes into a career and became a professional cycle mechanic. Rich started volunteering on our bike recycling project in 2012, before joining the Life Cycle team in 2013. He is City & Guilds accredited Tutor, Assessor and Quality Assurer in cycle mechanics. Rich spends most of his free time drinking tea, fixing bikes or playing his guitar.
bikebackvols@lifecycleuk.org.uk
James - Lead Mechanic
James started life as a rock climber, drifting into cycling as a way to keep fit in winter. His love of biking led to over 20 years in the bike trade, working in sales and as a mechanic. James has raced all over the country and is a seven-time Cyclo-Cross Area Champion. He can normally be found either mechanic-ing or cycling up hills in the Alps to allow for increasing consumption of cake. He joined Life Cycle in 2014.
Dan – Head Servicing Mechanic
Craig – Project Coordinator
Bike Back Derby
Jon - Bike Back Derby Project Manager
Jon originally hoped to follow in the footsteps of Patrick Moore, gaining a degree in Astrophysics, but quickly realised that stargazing on top of an extinct volcano was perhaps not suited to family life. Instead, he worked for Rolls Royce on jet engines before joining environmental charity Groundwork in 2001 to manage bike recycling and cycle maintenance projects. He joined Life Cycle in 2013 and now manages a small but perfectly formed team in Derby, delivering a variety of cycling projects.
Tim - Lead Mechanic
Tim has been a keen cyclist since his teenage years, starting with mountain bikes before drifting into road biking and touring. He has worked in the cycle industry for nearly twenty years as a mechanic, salesperson and frame builder. After a brief spell building big yellow diggers Tim joined Life Cycle in 2020 to return to fixing bikes.
Tim.Leicester@lifecycleuk.org.uk
Jono - Volunteer Coordinator
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