OVER 4000 MEMBERS OF STAFF HAVE ALREADY SIGNED UP
WILL YOU JOIN THEM?
To encourage a healthier lifestyle and reduce our carbon footprint, Belfast Trust operates a Cycle voucher scheme. The scheme enables staff to sacrifice part of their salary with savings of up to 42% in return for a brand new bike and safety accessories to be used for cycling to work.
Cycle to Work Prize Draw
How it works
Through the scheme, the Trust buys the bicycle and accessories selected by the employee. Then, over the next 12 months, the Trust hires the bicycle to you, charging you through a salary sacrifice arrangement for the duration of the hire period.
At the end of the hire period, the Trust may transfer ownership to you at a minimal cost, therefore, you would be receiving a benefit in kind which is taxable.
Read our Cycle-to-Work Guidance
How to Apply
Applying is simple just go to www.cycle2work.info to register your interest.
Alternatively, you can call 08450 778850.
You’ll need our employer code which is BHSCTC2W
Secure Bike Parking
Once you have your lovely new bike we want to make sure it stays safe while you are at work. That’s why we have secure bike compounds at the following locations:
Royal Hospital
- Children’s Hospital x 2
- School of Dentistry x
- Elliot Dynes x 1
- Plenum x 1
- Kelvin x 1
- Pharmacy x 2
- CDU x 1
- Elliot Dynes Hub (rear entrance) with 32 spaces including shower and change facilities in the adjacent building
Belfast City Hospital
- Security Carpark x 2
- Loading Bay x 1
- Cancer Centre x 1
Wellbeing & Treatment Centres
- Shankill x 1
- Beech Hall x 1
Musgrave Park Hospital
- Rheumatology Car Park
Mater Hospital
- Main Hospital Car Park
Knockbracken Healthcare Park
- Admin Building Car Park
Each compound holds on average 10 bikes and access is gained by entering a key code on the door. For further details contact Travelplan@belfasttrust.hscni.net
MORE BENEFITS FOR STAFF
To further enhance the benefits for staff cycling to work, Belfast Trust has teamed up with Halfords to bring you cycle2work.
From 2nd April 2013, Halfords have administered Belfast Trust’s Cycle Voucher Scheme allowing us to free up resources to promote and administer other travelling to work initiatives focused on sustainable travel.
Halfords have set up partnerships with around 25 local suppliers across Northern Ireland to ensure that staff can select a bike from a store that is convenient to them and purchase brands that Halfords may not stock.
As well as the tax savings on a new bike and accessories, this partnership with Halfords has the added benefits of a first 6 week service, a 1 year bike care plan and various discounts available to staff.
- 2,000 people have already signed up
- Select the bike that suits you
- Choose from over 40 local bike retailers
- Various additional discounts available
- Change to partnerships with 40 plus suppliers, 3000 plus people already signed up
“I CYCLE TO WORK EVERY DAY”
Consultant nephrologist, Peter regularly Cycles to work, and between the Royal Victoria and Belfast City hospital sites.
- Do your bit to reduce pollution
- Reap the health benefits
- First 6 week service free!
- 1 year bike care plan free!
Read Madhuri Rao’s story to find out how she got into cycling
Madhuri Rao, an NHS worker living in Northern Ireland, now commutes with confidence after completing the Women Into Cycling programme 
With the support of our Sustrans Active Travel Officer, Dianne Whyte, cycled Madhuri through the cross-city route to show her how to safely navigate rush-hour traffic, emboldened her to swap the bus for her bike.
“The whole experience was absolutely amazing. I’m not new to cycling, I have been doing it for as long as I can remember. But once I moved to Belfast, I noticed that the traffic was a bit intimidating, not very cyclist-friendly, which made me hesitant. Then I heard about the Sustrans course through my work in the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust.
“It doesn’t matter how much experience you have cycling, you learn about all the little things you don’t necessarily think of before you even get back on again, like how to properly check and maintain your bike.
“I never thought much about how to care for my bike. If it broke down, I brought it to a repair shop. But I learned to do so many things for myself, it was so enlightening!
I got to meet some nice people, have fun and learn about new routes.
The cherry on the top was when Dianne cycled to work with me, she showed me the routes which I thought was amazing. Otherwise I would not have had the confidence to take my work route. I appreciated that a lot, I’m really grateful.
It’s a journey of about 3.5 / 4 miles, parts on road with traffic and I would be nervous about how drivers behave around bikes, I didn’t feel like doing it on my own.
Dianne met me in the morning and I saw how she did it, and that gave me confidence. She also travelled back with me from work that day so I knew the route in both directions.
I’ve now started to notice other cyclists, seeing them riding in traffic gives me confidence so now I try to cycle to work about two or three times a week.
The journey takes me about 40 minutes each way, I don’t go fast but it’s still much quicker than before when I had to take two buses each way which took around an hour and a quarter.
I arrive at work energised and I feel the same way when I get home in the evenings. Before, it was a real struggle to make time for exercise with my commute and work taking up most of my day. Now I get two 40-minute sessions as part of my day which is a big, big plus.
The infrastructure in Belfast is getting better by the day but if I had a wish, it would be for drivers to be a bit more friendly to cyclists and for cycle paths to be better maintained.”
The Leading the Way programme is open to all Belfast employees of:
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
Belfast City Council
Business Services Organisation
Department for Infrastructure
Public Health Agency
| Cards, gifts and festive cheer! Find a Christmas present for the cyclist or walker in your life here. Every purchase supports Sustrans’ mission to help people walk and cycle.
Great stocking filler or Secret Santa gift for the commuter cyclist, Translink’s Bike Fob for cycle shelters at bus and train stations across NI. Thinking of a new bike for 2023 check out Sustrans one-stop shop guide on how to choose the right bike for you. |
The Leading the Way team would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on how your workplace can keep supporting your Active Travel journey. Would you like to see different events or activities, advice or information? Click the button below
| Share your thoughts |
| All activities are FREE, bikes/helmets can be provided on request. Terms & conditions apply. Please feel free to share with colleagues too!
Coming in 2023; Reset your Steps Challenge (Jan), Step Back in Time Belfast City Centre led walks (Feb). Women into Cycling programme (Mar) |