Cycle bid considered for final!

At 10am today (Tuesday 23 October), the final shortlist of four projects were announced for £50 million of Lottery money. The projects were: the Connect2 project, coordinated by the walking and cycling charity Sustrans, Sherwood Forest, the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Black Country Urban Park.

A delighted Councillor Wera Hobhouse said: "The Connect2 project is the only nationwide scheme that is all about connecting communities by improving the network of cycle and walking paths.

"This project in Rochdale Borough connects all the four Townships, based around the Rochdale Canal.

"Our involvement in the project here in Rochdale Borough goes back to February this year when William and I bicycled around the Borough with the head of Sustrans. We demonstrated to them that we should be part of the Sustrans Connect2 bid, and as a result were one of 79 schemes out of over 400 to be chosen for their bid."

In April Sustrans Connect2 was chosen as one of the 6 bids for the £50 million Lottery money. Now the project has been shortlisted into the final. The decision on which scheme receives the money will be by public vote in December.

Councillor Hobhouse added: "For me, the Connect2 bid is the most exciting, because it is 79 schemes dotted around the country and it will help to make millions of peoples' lives a little bit better. Here in Rochdale Borough, we are tying the bid into our program of Eco-Schools, healthy living and regenerating the Borough."