Tech company’s R&D Manager counts wellbeing, money-saving and a great sense of community as benefits of a cycling commute
Daryl Hurst, Novacroft’s R&D Manager, has cycled over 700 miles and has been saving £80 a month since beginning riding his bike to work in March this year.
Daryl, who has been part of the team at the smart technology and software solutions company for 15 years, and is behind some of the company’s key innovations, is one of the 741,000 people in the UK cycling to work regularly, having been inspired to take to two wheels when he began running out of new places to run!
As Cycle to Work Day 2016 is marked around the UK on September 14th, and key statistics from reports having shown that even a 20% increase in cycling could save the UK £87m in reduced absenteeism*, Daryl is keen to share the benefits of leaving the car at home:
I’d been doing a lot of running – I loved being out and discovering new routes but wanted to go further than my legs could take me. I heard about Novacroft’s bike to work scheme and thought I’d get a nice bike to complement my running and let me go longer distances. I was hooked immediately! Now I do more cycling than running, I love it. There’s a great camaraderie when you’re out and about. It’s definitely improved my wellbeing – cycling helps me keep trim and fit and I don’t feel guilty having treats. The fitness, cost and environmental advantages I’ve seen by cutting down on driving to work make a pretty compelling case to carry on cycling.
Daryl commutes by bike 3 – 4 times a week, doing around 14 miles a day, and tries to cycle at least 50 miles at the weekend. Since starting cycling, he’s ridden 1,897 miles in total and aims to do 100 miles in a single ride before the end of the year.
Making a positive impact on physical activity levels and boosting wellbeing is a key aim of Novacroft’s social action programme, Ucando-it, which is currently running in house at Novacroft. In its pilot phase, Ucando-it saw activity levels increase by 39%, with 54% people feeling ‘good’ or ‘great’ as a result.
Debra Charles, Novaroft’s CEO and Founder, said:
We’ve all been inspired by Daryl’s commitment. It’s so important to embrace that drive to make things happen, to really make a difference. We’ll be encouraging everyone at Novacroft who’s able to cycle to work on September 14th and beyond. It’s part of Novacroft’s and Ucando-it’s vision to make a tangible difference that will have a real and positive impact on society. Alongside making considerable savings to the economy, it’s also been claimed that there is up to 12.5% difference in productivity between exercising and non-exercising team members*. The UK needs to get back on its feet, and getting on our bikes for starters is a fantastic way to embrace our individual parts in that.
Cycle to Work Day 2016 is a national event promoted by Cyclescheme UK, Cyclescheme Ireland and Halfords. It aims to encourage everyone to take to two wheels on September 14th, 2016.
*Statistics from PleaseCycle
For further information, please visit www.cycletoworkday.org