Project FIAS, a University of Bristol research and impact project, is pleased to announce the launch of the FIAS Toolkit: Supporting thriving women+ mountain biking communities. The launch took the form of a community mountain bike ride with various groups taking to the trails in Bristol, including women+ only groups.
Project FIAS is committed to understanding and addressing gender inequality in mountain biking. The project takes a macro sociocultural change approach to tackling gender inequality, and has ‘community building’ at its heart, reflecting the need to support thriving communities of women+ mountain bikers as a stepping stone to more diverse and inclusive sports cultures. The FIAS Policy Framework (available for free here) has been used to work with policy stakeholders to map existing practice and shape future programmes of activity designed to inform gender transformative strategies.
The FIAS Toolkit builds on the Framework, and particularly its central focus on community. It is underpinned by rigorous academic research and has been co-created with a wide range of community organisations across the UK, e.g. New Forest Off Road Club, Off Root, Colour Collective. The Toolkit is free to download. It is full of resources and insight designed to support the initiation and growth of women+ only mountain biking communities. The FIAS Toolkit provides guidance on the following areas:
- Planning and initiating: how to get things off the ground.
- Recruiting and diversifying: how to reach the women+ you’d like to reach.
- Ensuring a positive experience: how to get the vibe right on every ride.
- Retaining and sustaining: how to ensure your community thrives and grows.
The Toolkit includes case studies, examples and links to further resources. It will be helpful for any women+ MTB community no matter what their vision is.
The launch kicked off with a workshop with the FIAS steering group on Friday evening, which includes some of the leading advocates of and change makers in action sports: Sue Barrett, New Forest Off Road Club & Adventure Queens; Claire Bennett, Hope Technology and Hope WMN; Kath Goodey, RideHigh MTB & Trail Collective North Wales; Aneela McKenna, Mòr Diversity; Jo Lee-Morris, Pro Ride MTB Coaching & Infinite Pathways; Josie West, She Flies; Zoë Woodman girlsALIVE.
The FIAS Project steering group and research team. From left to right: Professor Martin Hurcombe, Claire Bennet, Sue Barrett, Kath Goodey, Aneela McKenna, Josie West, Fiona Spotswood, Jo Lee-Morris, Zoë Woodman (with Business School research support staff Clara Oldfield and Hannah Dow).
We took the opportunity to reflect and celebrate all the accomplishments of the project so far for Project FIAS. This includes podcasts, news articles, policy outputs, radio interviews, public engagement events, stakeholder workshops, FIAS workshops, academic conferences and academic journal articles. We also shared all the exciting activities to come, including our work with Fusion Media, with Our Media, Forest of Dean Cycling Centre and Beicio Cymru (Welsh Cycling).
A big thank you to everyone who attended the launch!
On Saturday 5th October we celebrated the launch of the FIAS Toolkit with an Autumn Celebration Ride from Pedal Progression in Ashton Court, in partnership with Ride Bristol, the local Trail Association that maintains Bristol’s trail network and supports community building activity in the city. The event attracted 80 riders and visitors from across the UK working in cycling community development, advocacy and policy. There were mountain bikers of varying ages, genders and abilities, including new riders trying mountain biking for the first time. 6 groups heading out on the trails, including three for women+ only.
Dr Fiona Spotswood lead one of the groups at the launch
The FIAS Project steering group and research team joined the launch. From left to right: Claire Bennett, Maria Moxey, Sue Barrett, Josie West, Jo Lee-Morris, Aneela McKenna, Kath Goodey
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To download the toolkit, follow the link here FIAS Toolkit available from Bristol or using the QR code above.
To find out more about Project FIAS, the FIAS Framework and FIAS Toolkit, please contact Fiona Spotswood (fiona.spotswood@bristol.ac.uk) or Martin Hurcombe (m.j.hurcombe@bristol.ac.uk)
To see the Project FIAS blog, including photographs of the steering group, click here
With thanks to our Project Partners:
