A BIKE emporium in Ribble Valley is gearing up to help blind and partially-sighted riders back into the saddle with a new tandem initiative.

Phil Wade, who works at Green Jersey, based in Clitheroe, has been working with leading Lancashire eye surgeon Mark Vose on the pioneering cycle.

Mark is a consultant ophthalmologist for hospitals across the county and Phil has been cafe manager at the Shawbridge Mill venture for the past three years, and the idea came together on one of Green Jersey’s regular rides.

Recalling how the tandem came about, the eye specialist said: “It was because of a patient of mine who was a keen cyclist and lost the vision in what was his only good eye.

“He was determined to get back in the saddle and I thought a tandem would be a good way of doing that.

“I got chatting with Phil on the Monday night ride and figured it would be a good way of getting people with limited or no vision back on the bike. We both know how much a ride can help lift your mood.”

Phil, who lives in Clitheroe with wife Jen, started out as a special needs teacher and is using that background to launch his own community enterprise, The Ride Guide, which will promote the benefits of cycling for people with emotional, physical and psychological difficulties.

He had his own motivation for developing the tandem scheme, as his brother-in-law, Johnno Bond, from Hapton, has a rare eye condition.

Johnno suffers from keratoconus, a progressive eye complaint which affects the corneas, causing distorted vision, for which he has to wear special lenses.

The university student had also been fit and active and he has enjoyed trial runs with Phil to test out the tandem around the valley’s twisting lanes.

Phil said: “The bike is there to provide access to cycling for a wide range of people, including Johnno, who want to regain their independence.

“This is an outdoor activity which does not impact on his lenses and gives him something to concentrate on other than his eyes.”

“It also might be used by people who have issues with their co-ordination or lack the confidence to go out riding on their own perhaps.”

While the tandem, which has been christened as ‘Joanna’, has no particular adaptations, it benefits from a wide range of gears, to enable the pilot and rider to tackle different terrains and gradients.

Phil added: “The whole thing fits in quite nicely with the next step on my journey, which will be looking at the links between cycling and mental health, with The Ride Guide.

“Cycling and this job can easily take over your life and this is a nice example of how it can be beneficial to all kinds of people.”

The tandem initiative has already won friends with campaigners for the blind and partially-sighted, with one local charity singing its praises after being given a test run.

James Coulton, outdoor activities co-ordinator for Galloway’s, a Lancashire-based charity for the blind and partially sighted, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for visually-impaired people to get moving, have some fun and stay active.

“At Galloway’s we know that getting outside and enjoying challenges can help people living with sight loss regain confidence and independence.

“It’s just fantastic to see businesses supporting new resources for visually-impaired people.”

Green Jersey was established by Richard Paige, the founder of Clitheroe Bike Club and organiser of Clitheroe Grand Prix. He’s worked in the bike trade for nearly 30 years and the outfit hosts rides and regular socials.