A NEW community-based cycling project designed to help people get more active is now being trialled in a seaside town and coastal village.

Essex Pedal Power, in partnership with the likes of Essex County Council, Tendring Council, and the Active Wellbeing Society, is being piloted in Clacton and Jaywick.

The programme allows eligible residents to apply for a free, state-of-the-art bike and aims to make cycling available to people from all walks of life.

The trial scheme is believed to be the first of its kind to be rolled out in Essex and will see 1,500 bikes distributed in phases throughout 2021-2023.

The project will initially see successful applicants loaned a bike for a year, but if it is used at least once a week during this time, the cyclist will be able to keep it.

The Essex Pedal Power team will be able to monitor the bike usage via a GPS tracking system, which will provide data on how the bike is used.

It the pilot rollout is successful the well-being initiative, for adults and children over the age of 12, could be rolled out in other parts of the county.

Some of the bikes are currently being built at the Jaywick Community & Resource Centre, where Sgt Ben Felton recently paid a visit to see oversee progress.

To find out more about Pedal Power visit activeessex.org/essex-pedal-power.