PEDALL New Forest Inclusive Cycling
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Project partners:
PEDALL New Forest Inclusive Cycling -
Project location:
New Forest National Park, Hampshire, UK -
Project type:
Impact Evaluation -
Sector:
VCSE -
Publication year:
2026
About the Project
PEDALL New Forest Inclusive Cycling provides adapted, guided cycling for people who face barriers to cycling, including people living with long-term health conditions, mobility or balance challenges, physical or intellectual disabilities, dementia, or brain injury. Operating from two bases at Burley and Ashurst, PEDALL’s fleet of specialist cycles and trained volunteer team enable people of all ages and abilities to ride in the New Forest National Park.
PEDALL’s work is supported by the National Lottery Community Fund through a five-year grant running to 2028. Envoy Partnership, PEDALL’s impact and evaluation partner, produced an impact report covering 2024-25, designed both to demonstrate the programme’s outcomes to funders and to support PEDALL’s engagement with new partners and supporters.
Envoy led the analysis, narrative development, writing and design of the report, drawing on PEDALL’s activity records, rider and volunteer surveys, case studies and partner feedback. The report marks ten years of rides in the New Forest, combining evidence of outcomes for riders, families and volunteers with the story of the project’s growth from car-park rides with borrowed cycles to a year-round programme.
Methodology
The evaluation drew on PEDALL’s existing data and evidence.
Quantitative work included descriptive analysis of PEDALL’s activity and booking data from 2021 to 2025 (rides delivered, rider and carer slots, unique riders, and splits by location), analysis of the 2025 rider survey (78 respondents), analysis of the volunteer survey (15 respondents) including retrospective before-and-after self-assessment measures, and analysis of PEDALL’s partner network by primary need category.
Qualitative work included thematic review of open-text survey responses from riders, families and volunteers, and editorial integration of case study material supplied by PEDALL. Findings were triangulated across rider self-report, volunteer observation and family feedback, and referenced against Envoy’s prior Social Return on Investment analysis for PEDALL. Envoy also designed the report and all data visualisation.
Findings
Across 2024-25, PEDALL’s evidence points to sustained growth and consistent wellbeing outcomes for riders, families and volunteers. Survey findings, volunteer observation and family feedback all tell the same story: riders feel happier, fitter and more confident, and they keep coming back.
- 7,611 rides delivered in 2025, across 600 guided ride sessions and community events, up 217% since 2021
- 97% of riders said they feel happy after cycling with PEDALL
- 96% said cycling with PEDALL improves their strength and fitness
- 87% have gained confidence to try new activities
- Riders stay for an average of 22 months, and 63% ride at least once a month
- Volunteers contributed over 11,300 hours in 2024/25, and 100% said PEDALL has a positive effect on participants’ lives
Learnings
The evaluation showed that PEDALL’s model works because riders keep coming back: retention data and qualitative feedback point to the combination of the Forest setting, mixed-ability group sessions and a welcoming volunteer team as the basis of sustained participation. Benefits extend beyond riders to families, carers and the volunteers themselves.
The report also supports PEDALL’s transition toward financial sustainability, setting out strategic priorities for 2026-2030 around sustainable growth, community engagement, partnerships and inclusion, and providing an evidence base for approaches to trusts, grants and corporate partners.