BikeLights 2022 ‘Atlantic Highway’

We are delighted to say that BikeLights  – Illuminated Bicycle Parade –  is back for 2022, this years event is called ‘Atlantic Highway’ so if you are looking for inspiration think great road trips or beach holidays or sea creatures – there is so much to choose from.

We are missing a crucial chunk of our funding this year so have set up a Crowdfunder to help to pay for the costs of the 3 events – Please consider pledging, no amount too small or too large . https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/bikelights-lit-bicycle-parade

This year we have added an event in Bude for the first time as well as our second event in Bodmin and our 7th in Wadebridge.

To take part all you need to do is decorate your bike with lights and join us in the town of your choice.  We start assembling from 17.45 for a start time of 18.45.

decorating workshops

We run free drop-in decorating workshops in each of the towns on the day before or day of the event – these are fully funded by us all you need to buy are the lights and the batteries which we will have available for you.

In Bodmin the workshop is on Thursday the 13th in the Shire House Suite – Priory Park from 4.30 pm to 20.00

In Wadebridge the workshop is on Saturday 15th  at Pop Gallery on Goldsworthy Way from 11am to 16.00

In Bude the workshop is on Sunday 16th at Parkhouse Centre from 11am to 16.00

 

 

BikeLights will be back in 2021!

This year’s BikeLights events are sadly not taking place because of COVID, but we are in planning for next year’s activities that hope to make up for that!

Meanwhile we are still working on the last few elements of the overarching FIRE & STEAM project that gave last year’s events their theme and their focus. You can read more on the project page.

We will be issuing more information about how to get involved in the 2021 events as we work towards those, and funding permitting of course we hope to offer lots of community workshops and schools activities once more, so do keep in touch and keep checking this website for updates.

Have a safe and happy 2020 meanwhile, and see you in 2021!

Wadebridge Creative Hub & The BikeLights team

FIRE & STEAM and BikeLights 2019 have been kindly supported by:

The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, FEAST, St Breock Windfarm Community Fund & WREN, Wadebridge Town Council, ASDA Foundation, Coop Community Fund’s Good Causes, C&H Crane Hire, Verfacil Ltd & Wadebridge Coasters. Project partners include IntoBodmin CIC, Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Bodmin College FdA Digital Media Unit, Bodmin Town Council & Museum, Pencarrow Estate, Wadebridge & District Museum, Concern Wadebridge & Wadebridge Dementia Action Alliance. Thanks also to LIDL Wadebridge, Camel Trail Cycle Hire, Kernow Fireworks, Wadebridge Bike Shop, The Handy Store, Bridge Bike Hire, Wild Bake and Gordon Martin & Son Hauliers. 

 

WOW, what an incredible weekend of FIRE & STEAM BikeLights events last October! We were completely overwhelmed with how wonderful and different each event was, in our two amazing towns; how brilliant all the workshops were; and all the bits in between!

Thank you to EVERYONE involved: our schools, children and staff, our commissioned and community artists, our elderly and community participants, our brilliant event teams and crew, our volunteers and stewards, our amazing funders and supporters – particularly The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and FEAST – and each of our fantastic local community and heritage partner organisations who worked so generously and tirelessly to help make these events happen. To our amazing Coasters cyclists who braved the Trail with their Coasters Camel locomotive creation to recreate the journey of the original Camel locomotive from Wadebridge to Bodmin & back again on Sunday! To EVERYONE who has contributed their time, money, love and energy to this fantastic community project! AND, to all of you, who came out in their droves to enjoy and to support our magical FIRE & STEAM processions in each town!

To all of you, a MASSIVE THANK YOU! The BikeLights and Wadebridge Creative Hub team x

Our 2019 Events! More details…

FIRE & STEAM: BIKELIGHTS 2019,  IN WADEBRIDGE & BODMIN!

BikeLights, the illuminated bicycle procession for all the community, boasts twin events this year for the first time in both Wadebridge AND Bodmin, and with a rather special theme, celebrating the heritage of one of the earliest steam railways in the UK that linked the two towns from 1834 until 1978.

For those who have never attended a BikeLights event before, each procession is a one-hour, circular route with stewarded road closures around each town, followed by a lap of honour and a spectacular finale, this year with fireworks, a special performance, music and street food.  

All are welcome to join in: get inspired by our theme, illuminate and decorate your bikes, scooters, strollers or wheelchairs, and join us and our artists’ and schools’ creations for this wonderful community celebration in your town! You can even get help with bike decorating and safety checks at our FREE community workshops!

Wadebridge BikeLights: Saturday 12 October Gather at Lidl from 6pm, procession 6.45pm. Ends approx 8.45pm. All welcome, entry by donation

Bodmin BikeLights: Sunday 13 October Gather in Priory Park from 6pm, procession 6.45pm. Ends approx 8.45pm. All welcome, entry by donation

Artist creations can also be previewed at Bodmin General Station on Sunday from around 4pm as they get ready for the procession!

The Light Railway Ride with the ‘Coasters Camel’: Camel Trail, Sun 13 October. Departs Guineaport Wadebridge 4.45pm, returns Bodmin at 9pm

A special part of the weekend’s proceedings sees a magical illuminated ‘steam train’, the ‘Coasters Camel’ – built entirely on bicycles by the Wadebridge Coasters Cycling Club, and named for the first engine on the line – travelling along the old railway route along the Camel trail from Wadebridge to Bodmin and back on Sunday October 13, to join in Bodmin’s BikeLights!

Please note: participation in both BikeLights and the Light Railway ride is at the public’s own risk. Wadebridge Creative Hub and its partners accept no liability for personal injury or loss. Please also note that the Light Railway ride is a substantial undertaking and only for very strong riders. The return journey from Bodmin to Wadebridge will also be in total darkness. We therefore recommend a MINIMUM age of 11 years for this ride. Under 16s MUST be supervised by an adult.

In case of bad weather, events may be postponed to same times/venues on the following weekend, 19 & 20 October. See Facebook @WadebridgeBikeLights for alerts!

FIRE & STEAM! An extended BikeLights project for 2019

We are delighted to have support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and FEAST this year as well as our valued local funders to deliver FIRE & STEAM – an exciting extended wrap-around heritage project for BikeLights, celebrating the unique history of our local railway.

The FIRE & STEAM project not only provides this year’s BikeLights with its inspiring 2019 theme,  it also forms a natural link between Wadebridge and Bodmin where for the first time we’re planning a twin BikeLights procession, along with a series of heritage & creative activities and outcomes in schools and community groups, in collaboration with local partners.

The original ‘Bodmin & Wadebridge Railway’ linking our two North Cornwall towns opened in 1834 thanks to the innovative thinking of a small group of local people – in particular Pencarrow’s Eighth Baronet, Sir William Molesworth – and was one of the earliest UK steam railways in operation, before London could boast its own line and when local engineers were also winning prizes at the Great Exhibitions of the day.

Beyond our inclusive celebratory, processive, bicycle-based (as well as scooter-, pram- and wheelchair-based) twin BikeLights workshops and events – which bring together hundreds of local people, no matter their age, ability or background – further FIRE & STEAM themed heritage activities over the coming 10-12 months are also planned with a host of partners, who will be working closely with Wadebridge Creative Hub to bring the railway’s heritage to life for a new generation through a series of arts and heritage workshops and experiences.

FIRE & STEAM partners include IntoBodmin CIC, Bodmin College’s FdA Digital Media Unit, Wadebridge Dementia Action Alliance, Concern Wadebridge and Bodmin & Wenford Railway. Wadebridge & District Museum, Pencarrow Estate archivists, Bodmin Town Museum, Bodmin Town Council and hopefully Camelford Town Council and new Cornwall archives Kresen Kernow will also be linking with the Creative Hub over the coming months to help this project happen,  and thanks to the project some of these partners will also benefit from new heritage assets such as specially-produced printed materials and displays, as well as website- and film-based heritage materials.

We are working with even more schools and community groups than ever before, so please get in touch if you would like to be involved, there is still time! Weather permitting, our BikeLights FIRE & STEAM 2019 events will take place at dusk in Wadebridge on Saturday 12thOctober, and in Bodmin on Sunday 13thOctober, with extreme weather fallbacks pencilled for the following weekend just in case! More information as we release it.

BIG thanks to our funders and supporters who also include St Breock Windfarm Community Fund & WREN, Wadebridge Town Council, ASDA Foundation, Coop Community Fund’s Good Causes, C&H Crane Hire, Verfacil Ltd & Wadebridge Coasters. Thanks also to LIDL Wadebridge, Camel Trail Cycle Hire, Kernow Fireworks, Wadebridge Bike Shop, Bridge Bike Hire and Wild Bake.

Massive THANKS to everyone involved in BikeLights 2018!

We DID IT!

A massive THANK YOU to all involved in our wonderful BikeLights Flying Circus event on Saturday!

In spite of unpredictable weather, everyone pulled out all the stops to create and enjoy a fantastic event, with well over 300 in the procession on an amazing array of wonderful wheeled and walking creations, and over 1200 people out to watch – which we think is really pretty good for a wild wet night in January!

HUGE thanks to all our fantastic contributors – our artist team, our production and event team, our schools and community groups, our funders, sponsors and supporters, our fireworks team, all our kind local businesses and catering partners, bucket shakers and volunteer stewards – EVERYONE who has generously supported this magical local event once more. We couldn’t do it without you!

We are already making plans for the 2019 event so if you’d like to be involved please get in touch and look for updates on here and on social media!

See you soon!

The BikeLights & Wadebridge Creative Hub team

BikeLights 2018 Child Bike! (Simon Stuart Miller Photography 2019)

BikeLights 2018 Child Bike! (Simon Stuart Miller Photography 2019)

BikeLights 2018 Boscastle School's creation! (Simon Stuart Miller Photography 2019)

BikeLights 2018 Boscastle School’s creation! (Simon Stuart Miller Photography 2019)

TODAY!

It’s today, folks!

Please check our FaceBook and Twitter feeds for event updates as the weather is looking poor this afternoon – we are planning to go ahead with our event.

See you there!

The BikeLights team

BikeLights news!

We can now announce our replacement parade date for the postponed 2018 event is:

January 26th 2019

with an earlier start time because of shorter daylight hours of 4.30pm.

More news and updates soon!

The BikeLights team

BikeLights 2018 is less than a week away..!

We’re very excited to be in the final run-up to our event this week, with lots of last-minute preparations going on, artists & schools finishing their creations and builds ready for the parade, and artist-led workshops taking place in a range of community settings.

Our production team are busy putting all the last practicalities in place including running a special volunteer steward briefing this Tuesday evening at 7pm at the Exchange, Molesworth Street, Wadebridge – if you would like to help us run our event safely and can spare a few hours to help out please do come along! Your help really does make all the difference!

Our open workshop on Saturday saw an amazing 95 people of all ages creating colourful and inspiring bike attachments and installation pieces all ready for the event! Don’t worry if you missed this – we still have our free on-the-day workshop at POP Gallery on Saturday 13th so if you’re not sure what to create then come down and let our artist team help you out! Reg, Max, Janie and Laura will be on hand between 11am and 5pm, along with the lovely team from Wadebridge Bike Shop once again offering their brilliant FREE bike safety checks!

We are also delighted to be a partner in Circus250 this year. Our event forms part of a year-long and UK-wide  celebration of the art form of Circus, which is an amazing 250 years old in 2018…! You can read more at http://circus250.com.

Do check this page again for more updates and news! See you on Saturday!

The BikeLights and Wadebridge Creative Hub Team