YORK is a cycling city, which encourages its residents to do their bit to ease congestion, get fit and save environmental resources.

But there are members of the community who may not think they can play their part. That is where community interest company Get Cycling comes in.

The company, which moved from Acaster Malbis to Fulford two years ago, promotes cycling, in all its varieties, for leisure, transport, health, happiness and the environment, said chief executive Jim McGurn.

The company, which now employs 16 permanent staff and has a number of casual staff and volunteers, worked for local authorities nationwide on a commercial basis until it became a social enterprise four years ago, and now it hopes to be recognised for Best Business & Community Link in The Press Business Awards 2012.

Get Cycling, which has a board of local business people to give it commercial rigour, in particular helps disabled people to cycle.

It runs a disability bike loan scheme on behalf of City of York Council, and supports several disabled people in York. It has set up the UK’s first ever public information website on disability cycling and has published a 32-page guide to disability cycling to give to its disabled cyclists.

Jim said: “We function as a centre of excellence in special needs cycling, with people coming from all over the UK for assessment and to try out suitable cycles from our specially bought try-out fleet of 60 disability cycles, each being an example of its type.”

It also runs Unibikes, a cycling support service for university students, on behalf of the University of York, and links with the wider community through cycling festivals, advice sessions and cycling activity days at schools.

Jim said: “Get Cycling CiC has been a very important element in the maintenance and development of cycling levels in York: with community benefits in the form of personal mobility, fitness, lower pollution, less congestion.”