The boss of a health and wellbeing charity, which runs a cycling track and sports facility, wants to cement its reputation as a hub for the community – not just talented cyclists.
Cyclopark chief executive Jonny Hamp says his team has been working to change people’s perceptions of the centre, off the A2 in Gravesend, so it can return to what it was built for.
Chief executive Jonny Hamp says they are bringing it back to what it was meant to be
The organisation launched its future direction strategy last year as a way to re-engage with the community and rebrand by emphasising its charity status more than it had before.
Speaking to KentOnline, Jonny said: “People perceive us as a commercial entity rather than a charity and think we are well funded. Others thought we were solely a talented cycling venue.
“They were the perceptions we wanted to change [with our new strategy] as they were not true. We have been making ourselves more accessible and moving away from those perceptions.
“The whole message is we are trying to help the local community and that this is an asset for them. There were initiatives in the past, but it is about getting that message out there.
“Personally, I think it is the right thing to do. It is our purpose and why we started in the first place. The Cyclopark has always had this vision of being a community hub.
It offers more than just cycling. Picture: Clive Emson
“It has become known for talented cycling, and there are brilliant people who have come from here. But we are trying to bring it back to the purpose of being a community hub.”
The open-air centre includes bike tracks comprising a 2.9km hard-surface course for road bikes, a 330m BMX race track and a 6km track for mountain biking. Last year alone, it attracted 300,000 visitors.
It also has fitness classes, a gym, a physio centre, a cafe, a skate park, a children’s play park, a weekly 5k Park Run and plans to expand its indoor spaces after planning permission was approved.
It has become the stomping ground for BMX champions Kai White and Beth Shriever and Commonwealth gold medallist Johnboy Smith, and has hosted national championships and regional races.
However, Jonny, who has been the chief executive since 2023, explained they are now looking at how it can be an asset for the wider community, especially for people facing economic and health inequalities.
The Cyclopark was built to be a community hub. Picture: Clive Emson
In the last year, it has been able to offer more than 5,000 free places for certain audiences through its movement not meds, chair fit and chat, and long-term pain management programmes and cooking and nutrition classes.
It has also offered heavily discounted admission for parent-and-baby classes and menopausal weight training clinics.
The Watling Street site also holds specialised disability sessions, has adaptable bikes for children and adults twice a week, and has a learn-to-ride scheme with schools.
It has started community wellbeing nights on Mondays with Oakfield Health Centre in Windsor Road, Gravesend, where participants “walk and talk” and do rides with North Kent Mind.
The charity will also be looking at how it can improve its offerings to target youngsters following county-wide cuts to funding for youth clubs and services.
The learn-to-ride scheme in action. Picture: Cyclopark Charity Trust
Jonny added: “We are proving the blueprint for how leisure centres could operate and what they should do. This is how you can provide preventative care in the community.
“It is about movement, mental health support and socialisation. If you can get those three working together, you will make a major difference to someone’s life.
“We want to take people on a journey, whatever that might be, and we have helped people who were scared to take that step, and it is now a lifeline for them.”
That includes people like Andrew Carey, who joined the Cyclopark gym after being told he needed to lose weight, otherwise he would not be able to survive an operation which could save his life.
A scan had revealed he had three aneurysms – bulging blood vessels that could rupture, causing potentially fatal internal bleeds – and needed surgery.
Andrew Carey taking part in a chair fit class. Picture: Cyclopark
Initially, he believed the Cyclopark was for “people in Lycra”, but despite his doubts, he signed up and joined the centre’s chair fit classes as they would not exacerbate his health conditions.
The 70-year-old said it not only helped him lose weight, but also boosted his mobility and allowed him to have the life-saving operation.
The Cyclopark Charity receives less than 10% of its income from government funding, so relies on memberships, general admissions, events and grants to run.