AS THE Tour de France prepares to sweep the North West next month, an Oldham youth arts charity has launched a competition to encourage young people to share their love of cycling.
Peshkar Productions wants more youngsters to get on their bikes and upload their photos and videos of their favourite Oldham spots to ride. 
The campaign, called ‘Bike Adventures Oldham’, will run mostly online as young people are being encouraged to post artistic content onto the dedicated Facebook page by July 7.
The young person with the most ‘likes’ will win a GoPro Action Camera to help them develop and continue their artistic journeys.
The campaign has been created with young people who are working towards completing Arts Award qualifications with Peshkar.
Local BMXer Louis Robinson, who is involved in the campaign, said: “There are loads of young people in Oldham who are passionate about cycling and really get social media.
“So we thought the best way to involve them was to run a competition that celebrates both cycling and Oldham through social media.
“It’s also a great way to showcase the cycle routes as well as highlight some of the local talent both in cycling and making creative media.
“We want more young people to get into cycling. Oldham is your playground, so go explore it and share it.”
The project has been funded by Oldham Council through the Mobisec scheme, which is a pan-European funded initiative to boost cycling.
There has been significant investment in cycle routes in Oldham over the last few years through various funding streams.
MOBISEC has not only enabled further routes to be completed but also provided an opportunity to promote and celebrate these routes and get more people cycling.
Jim Johnson, Peshkar’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re really delighted to be working with Oldham Council on this initiative.
“Already stunning images and videos have been uploaded, which reflect the varied cycle communities in Oldham.
“We believe it’s a great opportunity to engage young people through cycling – it’s a sport that has widespread appeal and there’s a vibrant cycling culture in Oldham among young people, so it’s really an interesting campaign to involved in.”
To enter the competition or to view the online gallery visit the dedicated Bike Adventures Oldham Facebook or Twitter pages and use the hashtags #loveoldham #oldhamroutes
Peshkar Productions, established in 1991, is a youth arts charity that aims to improve young people’s lives via the arts. For more information visit their Facebook page or website.
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