On 29th May, Parc Bryn Bach welcomed Tomcat to the park to host an exhibition day to showcase their wide range of accessible cycling equipment to the general public.

The team at Tomcat first visited the park in February 2024, when celebrating the milestone of a local man, Thomas Hughes, who at the time had completed 135 laps (176 miles) over the previous winter period on his personal Tomcat Trike. To date, Thomas has now surpassed the 200-lap mark, and endeavours to complete more and more laps over the summer period, with his father Wayne.

After such positivity with Thomas, Parc Bryn Bach and Tomcat decided to partner together and host an exhibition day to allow the Blaenau Gwent and surrounding communities to find out how Tomcat could help and support those with a physical limitation or learning difficulty and remove the barriers they may face when it comes to cycling.

The day was a great access, with many families witnessing their loved one cycle independently for the first time, generally having fun when cycling around the 36-acre lake, and overall learning and enquiring more about the range of equipment that was on offer.

Tomcat said: “It was a great pleasure in meeting everyone in such a lovely community, the day was a great success for all, and we look forward to hosting another exhibition day again at the park in the future.”

Furthermore, Tomcat has kindly donated two ‘Fizz’ model trikes, one, to Parc Bryn Bach for visitors to hire and use around the lake, and the other, to Pen-Y-Cwm Special School, Ebbw Vale.  The headteacher of the school, Ms Deborah Herald commented:

“As a school we are so very grateful for the donation of a Tomcat trike.  Tomcat is working hard to ensure that cycling is accessible to all, and we are doing our best to support this by ensuring all our learners have time and space to practice on the trike.  Being able to join your family on a bike ride or explore your local park with a degree of independence are real aspirations for our learners and their families.  Access to these trikes make it all a little more achievable.  Thank you!”

Aneurin Leisure Trust was delighted to welcome Tomcat to Park Bryn Bach and is grateful for their generous donation of the trike.  It will offer many families and children the opportunity to cycle the accessible route around the lake, to have fun, learn new skills and help improve their physical, social and mental wellbeing on the specialised equipment.  Facility team leader Steve Hughes at the park said:

“At Parc Bryn Bach, we have lots of visitors using the accessible pathway as the perfect route to cycle, whilst taking in the glorious views and surroundings of the local nature reserve.  The donation of the ‘Fizz’ trike will allow more individuals and families to enjoy cycling at the park due to its specialised features, removing any barriers in taking part in such activity.  The equipment is a great addition to the fleet of bicycles we currently have on offer to hire, with the Tomcat trike providing a fantastic option for those with a learning or physical disability.  A huge thank you to Tomcat from everyone at the park!”

We look forward to seeing Tomcat back to the park in 2025, however, if you’re interested in learning more about how Tomcat could help you, you can find out more at tomcatuk.org

Additional information will be coming soon on how to hire the ‘Fizz’ trike at Parc Bryn Bach and will be posted on Parc Bryn Bach’s social media platforms and at parcbrynbach.co.uk