Wolverhampton cycling project helps cuts NHS costs by £13 million
Community hubs teaching cycling skills are boosting health and prompting calls for a £30m nationwide expansion
A Wolverhampton-based cycling initiative is demonstrating how grassroots exercise programmes can deliver major health benefits while easing pressure on the NHS.
Sam Henry, the city’s “Cycling Mayor” and founder of Not Lazy Then Happy (NLTH), is promoting mental and physical well-being, following new research showing that government-backed community cycling projects have already saved £13.1 million for the NHS.
Originally starting as a single community cycle hub, Henry's project has expanded to three hubs across Wolverhampton, due to funding from the Places to Ride programme and local match-funding.
The initiative focuses on tackling barriers to cycling, from building confidence to teaching basic bike skills.
Henry tells us Learn-to-ride sessions have been particularly popular among women, especially within the Afro-Caribbean community, while local GPs are referring patients as a form of social prescribing.
Participants have reported improvements in both mental and physical health, helping manage long-term conditions such as depression and cardiovascular disease.
Nationally, British Cycling, alongside health leaders, is urging the government to double its investment in the scheme. They argue that a £30 million second phase could create over 250 new cycling facilities, extending these benefits to more communities and generating further NHS savings.
The initiative’s timing is notable for Wolverhampton, where the local MP, Pat McFadden, now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, oversees health, employment, and wellbeing outcomes.