Determined Tina Evans, who suffers from Friedreich’s Ataxia, is taking on the challenge of cycling from Bangor to Cardiff next week.
The challenge will see Tina and her friend Nia cycling an adapted tandem and their ride will last 7 days, from 3 – 9 June.
Diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia at 16, Tina has been using her wheelchair as a tool for independence rather than a limitation, she constantly challenges expectations and norms about what a wheelchair user can do with their life and writes about her experiences.
Tina said,“The main objective for this challenge is to raise disability awareness and change attitudes. We believe that to change attitudes, the best place to start is by working with children.
“So we are teaming up with Sustrans by delivering talks at schools and are being joined by pupils from Plascrug School, who will cycle into Aberystwyth with us.
“We all set limitations on ourselves, especially disabled people. I find that some of these limitations are put upon us, pre-assumptions of how a life with a disability looks like. I’m not prepared to fall into this belief and will continues to challenge these assumptions.
“This journey will test our limits, and we have full faith that we are capable of succeeding. Through reaching new personal heights, we hope to inspire others to believe and challenge their limiting beliefs.”
Sustrans School Officer, Sioned Lewis is thrilled to be able to join Tina and Nia for a part of their challenge, cycling from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth on Wednesday 5 June. Pupils from Plascrug Community School will also be joining Tina at the outskirts of Aberystwyth, and cycling into the town together.
Sioned said, “It’s so inspirational to see someone work towards a goal with such determination, despite the challenges they face.
“The National Cycle Network is all about being accessible to everyone, no matter what their ability, and therefore it’s great to know that Tina was able to use parts of the NCN to complete her challenge.”
The National Cycle Network is a UK-wide network of traffic-free paths for everyone, connecting cities, towns and countryside, loved by the communities they serve.
Sustrans has plans to improve the National Cycle Network, with two priorities being to make the Network safer and more accessible for everyone.