Pam Yates is a level 2 coach at Redditch Road and Path Go-Ride Cycling Club. She is just about to retire from 14 years of volunteering at the club, so we asked her to share some of her wisdom with the rest of us.

Pam will undoubtedly be missed, however we are certain that she has left a lasting legacy at the club that will benefit young people for many years to come.

So tell us how you got into coaching then Pam?

My son, now 31, began mountain biking when he was aged 8 and was hooked from the very beginning. Spurred on by his successes, we entered the world of competitive cycling. As we travelled round the country for him to take part in events, we met many other youngsters who belonged to cycling clubs and were obviously enjoying the support provided by their club.

A few years down the line, we tried to join our local cycling club, but were told they didn’t take anyone under the age of 13. By this time, aged 12, Chris was a member of British Cycling and we had witnessed first-hand the opportunities available to get youths on their bikes, develop their skills, get fit and enjoy the outdoors.

Cutting a long story short, my husband and I joined our local club, eventually became membership secretaries and set about changing the mind-set of the committee to accept youngsters.

Coming from a teaching background, my aim was to have a school cycling team that fed into the local club. The children, known as Slipstreamers, would have to be family members, which would bring their mums and dads into the club too.

This worked extremely well as an after-school club and many of the mums and dads got back onto their bikes, some even taking part in competitive cycling!

Word spread and we had children from all over the town wanting to join. The club has never looked back, as the average age of members plummeted from 50+ to 25+, with its future secure in the hands of enthusiastic volunteers.

It is British Cycling’s Go-Ride scheme that gave us a truly structured approach to our coaching and a nationally recognised qualification. Having received this training, it gave us the knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence to deliver quality coaching for young people in which parents would also have confidence.

As a club coach, do you work within a team of volunteers?

Without a team of volunteers, the task would be impossible. The club committee has been fantastic in supporting our aims whilst remaining true to the club’s long history and traditions.

In the beginning, I could administer the organisation and coach the youngsters myself whilst the committee ran the rest of the club, but as the membership has grown and grown, so has the number of coaches and we have enlisted the support of parents who have stepped forward to volunteer on the administration side.

Six of our nine coaches are parents of our Slipstreamers, past and present, who were so impressed with what we were doing that they volunteered and underwent the training to become coaches themselves. The majority of the committee is now made up of parents who are committed to keeping the club moving forward.

How do you ensure the young riders stay engaged with the sessions and keep coming back year after year?

We hope that the young riders can see that we have built progression into the way we structure the groups, so that there is always something to learn.

They can learn from the coaches and also from each other. Our Young Volunteers are an inspiration to everyone, so that those who may not get involved in racing, or be particularly good at it, can feel valued and well respected and have a positive role within the club.

We also have our progressive Saddle Up award scheme. This has three levels (gears) and addresses three different areas: ‘Know your bike and clothing’, ‘Skilful riding’ and ‘Taking part’.

We are very good at celebrating success. Apart from our annual dinner and trophy presentation evening, when the year’s achievements are celebrated with big trophies, we have parish notices at the end of every training session. Here we advertise forthcoming races and recount the outcome of past events and present our family of seven teddies.

Five of the teddies are for that evening’s best rider in each group. One teddy (sprinter) is for racing achievement and the largest teddy of them all (peddler) is for outstanding achievement. This can be any aspect of club life, cycling in general or just overcoming any adversity. Peddler has his own log book and can be awarded to children or volunteers of any age.

Above all, we aim to make the sessions fun and give the children a sense of real achievement and worth.

Do you think it’s important for clubs to make links with their local schools?

Without the links with our local schools, I doubt that the club would have flourished in the way it has.

We have no purpose-built cycling facility in the town and so our first training sessions were held on a school playground and field.

We are able to store our equipment at the school where I taught and use the school hall when the weather becomes too bad to train outside. Schools are also a great conduit through which to advertise the club. Their newsletters are a great and cheap way to reach parents.

What’s your fondest memory as a coach?

This has been a difficult question to answer as there have been so many fondest memories. What kept me coaching for so long is witnessing the progress and development made by so many young cyclists.

From wobbly wheelers in the playground to international podiums and Olympic hopefuls, I have been privileged to play a small part in their development.

It is the support I have received over the years from so many people in so many different spheres.

It is receiving acknowledgment from different agencies for the good work the club is doing: Redditch Borough Council Community Club of the Year twice; Hereford and Worcestershire Sports Partnership Junior Team of the Year; several volunteer awards for different members of the committee; financial awards from Sport England, Redditch Borough Council and Aviva.

It is the smile on the faces of those who have perfected a skill at the end of a training session who were convinced it was impossible at the beginning - especially those who have just had their stabilisers removed and realise that they can ride on just two wheels!

What will you take away from your time as a coach?

From my time as a coach, I shall take life-long friendships and the knowledge that we, as a team of dedicated coaches, have made a difference to the lives of many young people.