The chains that set women free celebrating the women that have earned us our freedom to cycling
What do want?
To ride our bike
When do we want it?
NOW!!
Manchester Bee Tour ran as part of Chorlton Arts Festival on 21st May 2017. Thank you David Dunnico for the photographs.
The Chains that Set Women Free Tour - this was bought as a birthday present for Caz and her 'Moose' girlfriends.
Danish Style Breakfast Ride on International Women's Day for Sustrans, who want to introduce women to both the Fallowfield Loop and the new Oxford Road cycling facilities, as part of the plan to reduce the cycling gender gap. 70 women filled the Whitworth Art Gallery restaurant on 8th March 2017
Cycle Our City six rides between the 21st and 30th March - 6 Park Parade; Coffee Roasters and Grinders; Poetry in Motion; Sylvia Pankhurst; Ashton Canal and Portland Basin Museum; Public Art including two visits to see the Emmeline Pankhurst marquettes on display at the City Art Gallery.
Coffee Roasters and Grinders on 22nd March
Public Art by Bicycle on 30th March
Ashton Canal to Portland Basin Museum and back along the National Cycle Network on 29th March
28th March Sylvia Pankhurst Tour - visit where she lived and studied art, and became the most radical daughter's of Emmeline Pankhurst.
Here is a list of tours we have developed over the past few years. If you would like a private tour covering any of these themes please contact the tour guide below. Cycle our City with Confidence route 3 via HOME and Pankhurst Centre 11:45 - 3:30pmThis is a led ride, by women, Ursula Harries and Glynis Francis, for women wanting to feel more confidence when cycling in our city. Meet outside Coffee Cranks Cafe in Alex Park, cafe is open if you want a coffee and courage boost before hand and toilets are available.
The Cycle our City with Confidence tours are run in partnership with The Bike Hive, Pankhurst Centre and funded by TfGM Women on Wheels programme
Sylvia Pankhurst: artist and campaigner Hear stories from the life of the most radical of the Pankhurst daughters and visit an exhibition of her paintings of working women at Manchester City Art Gallery (exhibition closes 29 April) (Booking details to follow)
The Women’s Peace Crusade This tour traces the story of the 1917-1918 Women’s Peace Crusade. We visit 7 sites in Manchester City Centre, Rusholme and Withington in telling the story of how thousands of women from different organizations united to campaign against the war in Europe. The tour ends in Alex Park where there is an opportunity to view a film about the Crusade.
Cycle our City with Confidence route 2 via Pankhurst Centre This is a led ride, by women, Ursula Harries and Glynis Francis, for women wanting to feel more confidence when cycling in our city. Meet outside Coffee Cranks Cafe in Alex Park, cafe is open if you want a coffee and courage boost before hand and toilets are available.
Suffragette Ride and Tea Party The bicycle has long been associated with Manchester’s suffragettes and is a powerful symbol of women’s liberation. As the city gears up for International Women’s Day, we are holding a Suffragette Ride from Chorlton via the Pankhurst Centre and Alexandra Park to celebrate the bicycle’s role in women’s history and highlight today’s gender imbalance in cycling, largely due to fears around road safety. Edwardian costume and suffragette banners encouraged. Finish in Alexandra Park for tea and cake. Talks, activities and a small exhibition can be arranged Glynis 07780900811
Bicycles: The Chains That Set Women Free Joining us for a dip into radical, local history. We'll journey from Alexandra Park to The Pankhurst Centre on Nelson Street, and back to 'Tea Hive' Pavilion, on a heritage cycle tour. This tour celebrates ‘Bicycles: the chains that set women free’. Glynis 07780900811
Nothing to Lose But Our Chains Cycling has always represented more to women than transport – Susan Anthony, American Suffragette in 1896 claimed ‘it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world’. This tour 10 mile on and off city roads shares some of our adventures into who has or is influencing that emancipation locally. We explore the connection between cycling and political freedom. What was it like to own a set of wheels and ride un-escorted against the public views on dress and decency? Glynis 07780900811 Ursula 07828466999
Lowry By Bike A unique, fun and fascinating leisurely guided cycle tour through Manchester and Salford. Lowry liked to describe himself as ‘a simple man’ but on this tour we discover his true personality – creative, humorous, loyal, hard-working and ground-breaking - in fact quite complex! He died 40 years ago but his legacy continues: his life and work have been an inspiration for a number artists in the realms of film, music and dance, as well as painting. The tour starts at the Manchester School of Art and finishes and the Lowry Art Gallery, covering a total distance of about 10 miles. We’ll stop several times en route to visit Lowry haunts and stand in locations where he once stood to sketch for his paintings. At the end of the cycle tour there is an optional talk by Lowry staff, and a chance to look around the exhibition, as well as enjoying a well-deserved cuppa! Practicalities: the ride will be on urban roads and riverside trails and will cover a total distance of 10 miles. Please bring a roadworthy bike, and drink and food if you need it. Maximum 15 participants.
Kate 07905110197 Blue Badge Tourist Guide Ursula Ride Leader
Irwell and Manchester Ship Canal Emma 07500774200 Kate 07905110197
WoManchester Ride A 6 mile guided cycle tour where we visit sites associated with the 6 women who were shortlisted for a new statue as part of the WoManchester Project (Elizabeth Raffald, Elizabeth Gaskell, Margaret Ashton, Emmeline Pankhurst, Ellen Wilkinson and Louise DaCocodia). Come along and hear stories (and maybe even a song) about these amazing women who made significant contributions to our city. Ursula 07828466999 Glynis 07780900811
Oxford Road Heritage Tour This tour is part of an annual programme of cycling related activities, as part of National Bike Week. For more information and booking on please follow this link Ursula 07828466999 Glynis 07780900811
Science and Innovation Manchester is European City of Science 2016, it is the city of innovation, a city of firsts. On this 8 mile cycle tour we will explore its pedigree, taking is sites linked to the father of modern chemistry John Dalton and other atomic links, ‘The Baby’, Alan Turing, Dame Nancy Rothwell, Marie Stopes, Catherine Chisolm, Manchester University’s 25 Nobel Laureates including the 2010 prize for ‘mucking about in a lab’ and happening to discover wonder substance Graphene. The route will be mostly on roads. Emma 07500774200 Ursula 07828466999
Literary and poetic Manchester
Kate 07905110197 Ursula 07828466999
Low Carbon Manchester
Ursula 07828466999 Pete Abel (Guest Tour Leader)
Ashton Canal Lock Keepers Cottage, Lock No. 2 - Vesta Street, Manchester, M4 6EQ Emma 07500774200 Kate 07905110197
Black History An 8 mile black history cycle tour exploring Manchester’s role in the abolition of slavery and the paradox of Manchester’s wealth bring built on slave grown cotton. We will also hear stories and visit sites connected to more recent black history such as Manchester’s role in the post empire Pan African movement, Windrush generation, music, carnival, politics, retail, media, religion, sport and more. The route is mostly on roads. Emma 07500774200 Glynis 07780900811