Mr. Derek Pritchard, a former engineer, was the founder member of Bury Tandem Club for the visually impaired and is now its honorary president. He has been a dedicated cyclist since the 1950s. In the 50s and 60s his sight was good enough for him to ride solo, but in the 70s it began to deteriorate.
By 1979 his sight was such that he was no longer able to ride solo and had to change to tandems. He had done a bit of tandeming as a teenager, but other than this he had no experience of tandem riding at all at this time.
Mr. Pritchard continued to ride tandems with various partners until 1983 when his constantly deteriorating sight caused him to have to terminate his employment as an engineer. He was continually frustrated by the feeling that, though tandem riding was a sport which he really enjoyed, finding partners who could ride with him regularly was incredibly difficult. He wondered how much easier it would be to participate in his favourite sport if there were a dedicated tandem club for the visually impaired in his local area. What he envisaged was a club comprised of an equal number of sighted front riders and visually impaired rear riders, all of whom had a common interest in cycling.
Mr. Pritchard spoke to his social worker about the possibility of forming such a club and about how it would enable blind and visually impaired people to get out more. Mr. Pritchard had two of his own tandems which he could use and two very old tandem frames which he felt sure he could renovate. His social worker agreed that, if Mr. Pritchard could renovate his old tandem frames, social services would supply the necessary capital to get the tandem club off the ground.
The first meeting of Bury Tandem Club for the Visually Impaired was held in late 1984, but the club officially began in mid-1985. From 1985 to the present day, the club has grown steadily. We became a registered charity in February 1993 and, since most of our tandem building and maintenance work is carried out by blind members, we are very much a self-help group. We are constantly raising funds to enable us to add to our collection of high quality tandems with the aim of enrolling more members. We have benefited greatly from donations from organisations such as Comic Relief and Children in Need and in 1997 we received a donation from the National Lottery which was a real help.
Club rides take place every Sunday, beginning at approximately 9.30 am and lasting until about 2 pm. Usually, the distance covered is 40-60 miles with a break for lunch half way through the ride.
We are constantly on the look-out for new members - especially front riders - with a keen interest in cycling. The club is now able to provide full training to front riders who possibly have no experience of tandeming with a visually impaired person and to blind and visually impaired rear riders who may never have ridden a bicycle and who may therefore find certain aspects of tandem riding difficult.
Visually impaired people are able to take part in many different sports and activities but cycling offers something very different. Imagine the exhilaration of helping to provide the power to move at speed and yet needing the fitness and determination to climb the steep hills around the North West of England. Being exposed to the elements gives the feeling of freedom and space - a quality so often lacking in the lives of most blind and visually impaired people.
If you are considering becoming a member of Bury Tandem Club for the Visually Impaired, please contact us to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you.