Hundreds of students will start pedalling around Leeds from next week when the UK's first large scale university bike loan scheme launches as part of UTravelActive, a million pound project to get students more active through cycling and walking.

The low cost bike loan scheme, from ‘VELOCAMPUS LEEDS', part of UTravelActive, and based on the successful ‘Velocampus' at Nantes University in France, will offer 200 bicycles for hire to students from this September at The University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University.

Over the next three years, a further 300-plus bikes will expand the scheme. More than one million pounds of funding is being put into UTravelActive over four years from the two universities, the Big Lottery Fund, Sustrans, Leeds Primary Care Trust and Leeds City Council.

The 21-speed hybrid bikes are clearly identifiable as belonging to VELOCAMPUS LEEDS and are security stamped and coded. Each bike will be loaned out for the year, complete with lights and lock, on a first come first served basis.

UTravelActive project manager Lisa Brannan said: "Everyone knows that cycling is a healthy and environmentally friendly way of getting about - cycling to university is one of the easiest ways for students to achieve the daily recommended 30 minutes of activity to benefit their health. But it can also be much quicker than driving and journey times don't vary with traffic."

Rob Damiao, LUU Community officer, said "Many students live within four miles of the campuses, which is an ideal distance for getting there by bike. Cars clog up the streets and buses are expensive, so I'm sure the bike hire will be popular with students and a real asset to the universities and the local community."

Other UTravelActive activities to encourage sustainable travel include bike buddying to help boost beginner cyclists' confidence on the roads by teaming them up with someone more experienced; safer cycling and walking route planning and advice; self-help bike maintenance sessions; social rides, walks and events.

For more information on UtravelActive, contact Lisa Brannan at l.r.brannan@leeds.ac.uk or on 0113 343 6573.

Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through the website: www.sustrans.org.uk

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Notes to Editors

• UTravelActive is part of a portfolio of projects being delivered by a Consortium of the leading walking cycling and health organisations and funded through the Big Lottery Fund's Wellbeing Programme. The Programme provides funding to support the development of healthier lifestyles and to improve wellbeing.

• The Consortium is led by Sustrans and includes British Cycling, CTC, Cycling England, Living Streets, London Cycling Campaign, the National Heart Forum, the National Obesity Forum, the Ramblers' Association, Campaign for Better Transport and Walk 21. It is delivering a portfolio of projects that will enable 2 million people nationwide to become more physically active by walking or cycling as part of their daily lives by 2012.

• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004.

• Sustrans is the UK's leading sustainable transport charity. Its vision is a world in which people choose to travel in ways that benefit their health and the environment. It is achieving this through innovative but practical solutions to the UK's transport challenges.

• Sustrans' flagship project, the National Cycle Network, is now around 12,000 miles and runs within one mile of over half the UK population. During 2007 over 354 million trips were made on the Network. It is maintained by a team of 2,400 volunteer Rangers.

• Sustrans is an active member of Stop Climate Chaos, a coalition of environmental, development, women's, faith-based and activist organisations campaigning to stop climate change.

• Project Manager Lisa Brannan recently visited Nantes University to find out how their successful university-based ‘Velocampus' cycle loan scheme operates and learnt some valuable tips from the team there.

• The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK with more than 30,000 students from 130 countries. With a total annual income of almost £450million, Leeds is one of the top ten research universities in the UK, and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. It was placed 80th in the 2007 Times Higher Education's world universities league table. The University's vision is to secure a place among the world's top 50 by 2015. www.leeds.ac.uk

For more information contact l.r.brannan@leeds.ac.uk Tel: