Allstate NI employees take part in Cycle to Work Day

22 keen cyclists within the company were treated to a lovely breakfast by Travelwise at Belfast City Hall on 24th June as part of Cycle to Work Day. Female cyclists also received some training from a Sustrans coordinator on safe cycling practice in the city.

The 22 Allstate employees met outside the Belfast office and cycled en masse along May Street onto Donegall Square South, taking a right for Great Victoria Street and another right onto Wellington Place. On arriving at the Belfast City Hall, they were greeted with applause by some of the organizers of the event, who appreciated the company's efforts in promoting the day to receive such a large turnout of employees. A delightful breakfast consisting of a hot-dog, bag of fruit, orange juice, tea and coffee was enjoyed by all employees.

Patricia Wallace, Sustrans NI Volunteer Co-ordinator, took three Allstate ladies for some training on cycling within Belfast City. The first part of the training was along the lagan towpath, where Patricia showed them some simple cycling exercises to teach the correct way of looking behind while cycling. This is necessary to build confidence and allow the bicycle user to cycle safely when maneuvering when traffic is present. Then the training went onto the road, to teach the correct approaches for left and right turns at different types of junctions. Although this short training session only lasted an hour, the Allstate ladies who took part where thrilled with the information they absorbed from Patricia. 2 Local PSNI Neighbourhood Officers from Musgrave Street also provided advice and guidance on the day.

To promote healthier journeys to work and to reduce environmental pollution, Allstate Northern Ireland encourages employees to Cycle to Work. The company provides a cage for employees to store their bikes in a local car park, as well as shower facilities and allows employees to avail of an annual tax exemption, which allows employers to loan cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit. Allstate recently ran their fifth Cycle to Work Scheme with over 400 bicycles supplied to date. For further information click here.