Nicola Sturgeon took a spin on a smoothie-making bike as she visited a climate change project at a Glasgow primary school.
The First Minister was cheered on by pupils taking part in the Bike for Good scheme at Wellshot Primary School, the 1,000th recipient of the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund.
The schools project was given a £290,392 grant to continue working with young people, teachers and parents to promote cycling and cut car use.
So far more than 2,000 pupils across Glasgow have been helped by activities such as cycle training, bike maintenance lessons and route planning workshops.
It is one of 110 recipients of the latest round of funding, totalling £15.3 million.
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Other grants include £222,926 for a school and community food growing initiative in Benbecula, £187,744 towards launching a community fridge service to distribute unwanted food in Dundee and £143,333 to set up a site in Inverness to refurbish damaged and unwanted furniture, bikes and clothing.
Ms Sturgeon said the fund has made a “huge difference” since it was set up almost 10 years ago to help fund community schemes to protect the environment and tackle climate change.
“Politicians can talk about the climate challenge but the most effective way of taking action really is to engage people in communities often in quite small scale things but when you add them all together can make a big difference and that’s what the fund does,” she said.
“Today is significant because the award that is going to Bike for Good today is the thousandth award that’s been made under the fund.
“We thought it was a good opportunity to come here and see what Bike for Good is doing in schools like this to get young people more active but also to get them to understand the contribution that cycling can make to helping the environment as well.”
She said her time on the smoothie-making bike was “good fun”, adding: “I like cycling but I don’t get much time to do it these days.
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“A few minutes on the smoothie bike showed me that if the pain in my legs was anything to go by I need to get on my bike a bit more.”
The 2018/19 round of the Climate Challenge Fund comprises £14.3 million from the Scottish Government and £1 million of EU funding.
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