Women on Wheels
Our Mission

Our Mission

The world of everyday cycling is dominated by a white male demographic. It is much less common for women to take up cycling for transport and leisure, especially women of colour.

Women on Wheels (SCIO) is a Glasgow based community cycling hub for women. A service designed and led by women, we deliver a range of cycling activities to get women back on a bike or onto a bike for the very first time.

Our mission is to empower and enable women to overcome their barriers to take up cycling - for transport, to improve their physical and mental health, and most importantly, for the pure joy of it!

The barriers we help women to overcome

We have worked with women for over a decade to understand that they have a number of barriers to cycling, including:

  • Safety

  • Lack of confidence

  • Lack of money to access services

  • Lack of access to a bike

  • Being a parent/carer

  • Lacking time or childcare

  • Religious or cultural barriers

  • Health restraints

Through our cycling hub and services, we will provide support and opportunities for women and their families to get engaged with cycling and reap the benefits.

Our Vision

Our vision is to make women on wheels the norm, not the exception.

We are a women-led, inclusive community that is striving to break down and overcome women’s barriers to cycling so that everyone can experience the joy of cycling.

Our Values

Our services and team are focused on our key values, which guide our programme:

  • Passion for cycling

  • Inclusivity

  • Community building

  • Environmental

  • Integrity

  • Collaboration

Letter from Founder

I took up cycling as an adult in a Muslim Women’s charity. I experienced so much joy and I was extremely lucky to pass that joy onto many other women. 

I have now worked in a white male dominated cycling “world” for near a decade and I have loved every minute of it. I understand the barriers a woman, particularly a BAME and women of colour experiences and how I overcame them. I have since then actively worked on relieving barriers for other women.

Why am I setting up something new? Yes there are lots of cycling organisations focusing on enabling people to cycle but nothing that caters exclusively for, led and run by women.

Women on Wheels will not stop until a woman on a bike is THE norm and not the exception.

Yours sincerely,

Shgufta

Founding Director