Students from Baltinglass school honored as female cycling ambassadors

Scoil Chonglais students, Emma Langrill, Roisin Woulfe and Grace Gordon, have been recognised for their contributions as female cycling ambassadors at the #andshecycles awards ceremony in Dublin.

An initiative of Green-Schools Travel, the #andshecycles campaign was developed following research which indicated a staggering discrepancy in the number of female teens who cycle to school, compared to their male counterparts, with estimates as low as just one in every 250 girls across Ireland cycling. The aim of the campaign is to explore, understand and address barriers to cycling for teenage girls.

The #andshecycles Ambassador Programme is an extension of this campaign with a focus on addressing the teenage cycling gender gap through trained student leaders who take action to enable and empower teenage girls to cycle to school. Throughout the school year, student ambassadors have taken part in a number of trainings including leadership and communication, bike maintenance, track cycling, and ambassador training, which have helped them to achieve significant actions within their school communities.

This year’s 44 ambassadors were celebrated for their achievements at the ceremony in Richmond Barracks in Dublin on the 1st of May, with 3 ambassadors honoured for their exceptional contributions to the campaign. All ambassadors received a medal for their contributions, and were congratulated by An Taisce’s Director of Education, Cathy Baxter. Cycling enthusiast and performer Elaine Gallagher also provided enlightening entertainment on the history of women cycling.

Addressing the audience at the awards ceremony, Orla Patton, #andshecycles Coordinator, said, 'The ambassadors have been working tirelessly throughout the school year to dismantle gender barriers, promote inclusion, create opportunities for girls to cycle, and act as real role models within their school communities. The work done by the ambassadors is nothing short of amazing and has made incredible, lasting change in their own schools and beyond.'