Nicola Sturgeon took a spin on a smoothie-making bike as she announced more than £365,000 for two green projects in the Highlands and islands.
The first minister was cheered on by pupils taking part in the Bike for Good scheme at Glasgow’s Wellshot Primary School.
The project became the 1,000th recipient of the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund as it was given a £290,392 grant to continue working with young people, teachers and parents to promote cycling and cut car use.
Other grants confirmed yesterday included £222,926 for a school and community food growing initiative in Benbecula, £143,333 to set up a site in Inverness to refurbish damaged and unwanted furniture, bikes and clothing, and £187,744 towards launching a community fridge service to distribute unwanted food in Dundee.
A total of 110 initiatives will receive £15.3 million from the fund between 2018-20, with £101million now having been committed in the form of 1,097 grants since the fund’s launch a decade ago.
Ms Sturgeon said the money had made a “huge difference” since the initiative was set up to help community schemes which protect the environment and tackle climate change.
She said: “Politicians can talk about the climate challenge, but the most effective way of taking action really is to engage people in communities, often in quite small-scale things, but when you add them all together can make a big difference and that’s what the fund does.
“Today is significant because the award that is going to Bike for Good today is the thousandth award that’s been made under the fund.
“We thought it was a good opportunity to come here and see what Bike for Good is doing in schools like this to get young people more active, but also to get them to understand the contribution that cycling can make to helping the environment as well.”
The Glasgow scheme has helped more than 2,000 pupils with activities such as cycle training, bike maintenance lessons and route planning workshops.
The SNP leader said her time on the smoothie-making bike was “good fun”, adding: “I like cycling, but I don’t get much time to do it these days.
“A few minutes on the smoothie bike showed me that if the pain in my legs was anything to go by I need to get on my bike a bit more.”
