“I got an email from a journalist at The Sunday Times. I honestly thought it was spam. I couldn’t believe I had been nominated.”
Just two years previously Kirsty Cameron and her friend Rhona were asked to organise a ladies ride as part of the Angus Cycling Festival.
What began as a bike ride with 20 women became the Ladies Leisurely Cycles group and after setting up a Facebook page the group now has over 250 members of all ages and abilities.
Kirsty, 26, has been rewarded for all her hard work with a nomination for the Community Award at the prestigious Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards 2016. The winner of the award is voted for by the general public. Voting closes on Monday 28 November and the winner will be announced on Thursday 8 December.
Unbelievable, I've been shortlisted!!https://t.co/vRu3tG9EzP @joininuk @BTScotlandNews
— Kirsty Cameron (@Sporty_kir) November 6, 2016
As well as her volunteering work with Ladies Leisurely Cycles, Kirsty is also being recognised for her work in other areas of sport. She has been a gymnastics coach for 12 years, teaching over 120 children every week and also runs an U11’s girls football team.
“It was an amazing feeling to be nominated,” says Kirsty. “I never expected it and I was really proud to be nominated alongside cyclists in other categories like Laura Trott and Dame Sarah Storey.”
In 2013, British Cycling set out its WeRide strategy, the organisation’s plan to get one million more women cycling by 2020. The strategy looks to break down the barriers preventing more women from cycling and the brilliant work done by Kirsty and other volunteers like her has played a huge part in British Cycling inspiring over 250,000 more women to start cycling in the three and a half years since the strategy launched.
One of the key reasons given for women not wanting to cycle is not feeling safe riding on the roads on their own, a feeling that Kirsty recognises in her own group.
“A lot of the ladies that have joined our group over the last two years would identify with that feeling of not being safe. Riding in a group has definitely encouraged a lot of women to join us who otherwise might not have cycled at all, which is a great thing.”
While Kirsty is happy with the size of the Ladies Leisurely Cycles Group she does have ambitions to branch out into others of cycling.
“I’d love to start local sportive or Etape, while I’d also like to get more women to do bike maintenance courses and get more Ride Leaders trained. The more of us out there inspiring women to get on bikes the better.”
What would Kirsty say to a woman who is thinking about taking up cycling for the first time?
“Just take the bull by the horns. You don’t know what you’re missing. It’s very social, a great way to make friends and meet new people. The café stops are great as well!”
To vote for Kirsty in the Community Award visit http://swoty2016.co.uk/vote/community-award
