Poplar BMX

The video opens with the Buddle logo shown in the centre of a white screen, with the National Lottery, Sport England and Poplar BMX logos underneath it. Generic music plays and continues in the background throughout the video.  

The logos disappear and the text ‘POPLAR BMX’ appears in black capitals in the centre of the screen. Then the text ‘We caught up with Poplar BMX, a new club supported by Access Sport, in a deprived part of East London, to hear how they’ve made their club more inclusive’.  

The video switches to a scene showing several BMX helmets of various bright colours on the ground. In the background, you can see a grassed area, some bags and the feet of some people.  

A female voiceover starts, subtitles come up onscreen. Subtitles are used throughout the video to display all narration as text. 

Female voiceover: Access sport helps community clubs to be more inclusive of different demographics of people.  

The screen changes to show some bicycle wheels, one is spinning. It changes to show two people putting on helmets and then features some children and adults in front of a storage container. Two boys, in their school uniform, at the front of the shot are smiling and waving. In the background, you can see bicycles and helmets. The shot changes to centre on a blue sign saying, ‘Welcome to Langdon Park, we hope you enjoy your visit’ The Tower Hamlet’s logo can be seen in the top left of the sign.  

Female voiceover: Poplar BMX is set up here in response to local need, there aren’t many opportunities for people to take part in physical activity and cycling around here. 

The screen shows several children outside an open storage container, most are wearing BMX helmets and dressed in coats and tracksuit bottoms. A number of bikes can be seen upturned on their handlebars with wheels in the air. 

The screen then features the female whose voice we have been hearing. She is wearing a blue jacket with the Access Sport logo on. A caption on the right of the screen introduces her as ‘Harriet, Access Sport, Women & Girls Development Manager’. Behind her is a green open space surrounded by flats, a few people can be seen riding on bikes.  

The footage moves back to the storage container where a woman is helping a young girl with her helmet and several other children are securing the straps on their helmets. The screen changes to show one girl wearing a hijab, helmet and glasses, she waves to the camera. The screen goes back to Harriet talking.   

Harriet’s voiceover: We’ve got the club leader Myles and he’s supported by a team of young volunteers.   

The screen shows the back of some people’s heads and shoulders as they put on BMX helmets, it then cuts to show someone putting on orange bike gloves.  

The screen features a man talking. He is wearing a black jumper, with a Poplar BMX logo on. Behind him, the BMX track can be seen with two figures blurred at the top of the track surrounded by grass and some trees in front of a block of flats. A caption on the left-hand side of the screen introduces him as ‘Myles, Club Leader’ 

Myles’s voiceover: I live fairly locally so I live in Newham, it’s a Tower hamlets borough so the two kind of most deprived boroughs in London. It can be difficult at times; you’re working with parents or kids who don’t have a lot of money. But the first sessions are always free and there is no pressure on anyone, just come down, if you can’t ride a bike, we can teach you to ride a bike. 

The screen shows some children talking wearing BMX helmets and gloves, and some adults. The footage goes back to Myles talking, then changes to show a young volunteer, in a blue Access Sport jacket, with a group of children. He is helping one child to adjust the straps on his helmet. The next shot shows the same young volunteer teaching a child to ride a bike on a pathway in the park. The back of the child can be seen as he pushes the bike along with one foot on the ground the other on the pedal, alongside some cones. The young volunteer jogs backwards in front of him. The footage shows the same child coming towards the camera, and another child lines up behind. The young volunteer supervises from the side. The screen goes back to Myles talking.  

Myles’s voiceover: It's just a useful way for kids to get out of their houses and it gives them a bit of fun and a bit of exercise.  

The screen then shows the young volunteer calling together the children while clapping his hands in the air.  

Young Volunteer voiceover: Here, Please! 

Myles’s Voiceover: A seven-year-old is not going to look up to a forty-one-year-old but they will look up to a sixteen-year-old. 

The screen shows a group of children all listening, most wearing their school uniforms and jackets. One raises his hand to answer a question. The screen changes to show the young volunteer in front of the storage container holding a BMX helmet and pointing at a child while talking to the group.  

The screen changes to shows someone riding a blue bike fast around the BMX track. The screen then features another young volunteer wearing a white top. On the front of his top part of an image can be seen saying ‘tower hamlets’ and underneath ‘Poplar BMX’. Behind him is the BMX track with flats in the background. A caption on the left-hand side introduces him as ‘Jamie, Volunteer’  

Jamie’s voiceover: The most I enjoy about volunteering is that the kids that you meet every day, they are not the same ability.  

The footage returns to show Jamie as the person riding around the track on a blue bike and then changes back to the group of children. The screen then focuses on the Young Volunteer in the blue jacket, previously featured. A caption on the right-hand side introduces him as ‘Farran, Access Sport Coach’    

Farran’s voiceover: The best part I find is the low expectations that people have of themselves in the first sessions and the achievement that they then make at the end of it.  

The screen shows the back of Farran as he wheels a bike upright on its back wheel across the grass, while some children look on. The screen then shows a couple of upturned bikes and some children in BMX helmets. One child spins the wheel of a bike. The screen changes to show Farran sitting on a bike talking to some children, one child puts their hand up to answer a question. The footage then returns to Farran talking.  

Farran’s voiceover: Whether you’re a first timer or you’ve done this for years and years, you’re always going to get a thrill from going up and down jumps. 

The screen shows several children wearing different colour helmets on bikes. The screen returns to show Jamie riding around the BMX track going up and down the jumps, as people look on. The screen returns to Myles talking. 

Myles’s voiceover: We do the school sessions; we do something called Wingz which is an inclusive BMX session. So are aimed at people with disabilities all sorts of kind of learning difficulties, just aimed at getting them onto a bike and having fun.  

The screen shows lots of children, some wearing helmets and some pushing bikes. The footage changes to show five children each on a bike lined up along a concrete path. They lift one of their feet onto the top pedal. The screen then focuses on the face and helmet of the first child. The screen returns to Myles talking, in the background, someone rides past. The footage changes to show Farran walking. The screen shows the back of two kids with bikes walking past Jamie and then shows the front of them. It changes again to show one child riding along pushing the bike with one foot towards a group of other children waiting. Farran looks on. The screen goes back to Myles talking.   

Myles’s voiceover: For me, I don’t see a disability as a way of preventing you of doing anything. The parents get a two-hour break from their kids and the kids get a two-hour break from their parents. 

The screen shows Farran in front of children with bikes, while another group without bikes but wearing helmets look on with another volunteer. The screen changes to show a child tentatively cycling, while others wait behind him and some adults look on. The footage goes back to Myles talking, then changes to show a child cycling towards the camera and in the background a group with bikes. Farran wheels a bike over to them. The screen goes back to Harriet talking.   

Harriet’s voiceover: We also help clubs set up specific woman and girl’s sessions.  

The screen shows the head and shoulders of a woman, wearing a pink hoodie and yellow, black and grey BMX helmet. You then see the same woman riding around the top of the track, with Harriet, Myles and one other person watching on. The screen focuses back on her stationary at the top of the track, her helmet is raised above her head, as she talks. On the front of her hoodie is the words ‘BMX MUM’, a train passes in the background.   

Woman’s voiceover: I found it embarrassing being with the kids and thinking ohh, I’m going to get on the bike I might look silly. We’ve got ladies in their twenties, thirties and even we’ve got a lady who comes along that is in her sixties. So, anybody who wants to have fun, learn some new skills at BMX or even if you want to go on and race. 

The screen changes to show her and two other women on bikes, waiting. Then shows her riding around the track between coloured cones. The screen goes back to her talking and then returns again to her riding on the track. The footage returns to show Harriet talking.     

Harriet’s voiceover: Most riders have never BMXed before and I think this has been a really great opportunity for them to learn how to cycle and just be a part of something new in their community.  

The screen shows two women cycling over the jumps in the track between cones, the camera follows one of the women riding up to the top part of the track, where she stops get off and pushes the bike. The screen returns to Myles talking. 

Myles’s voiceover: I just like it to keep growing organically as it does, the enjoyment of seeing a kid who comes along who can’t ride a bike and then by the end of two hours, they are going around the track and not having to worry about anything.  

The screen shows someone in a blue jacket riding quickly around the track. The footage then shows some children talking to the camera, most are in their school uniform and coats. In the background, the storage container and group of children and some bikes can be seen.  

Child 1: It’s scary at first because there was like big hills but then I got used to it. 

Child 2: Because everyone likes to ride a bike because it's fun.  

Child 3: I’m going to carry on cycling because it’s fun and its good exercise to do.  

Child 4: Don’t feel scared just be confident. 

The footage ends and the screen shows a white background with the following heading in black capitals ‘POPLAR BMX’S TOP TIPS FOR CLUBS’ under the heading text is displayed,  

‘Where you can, use your facilities to attract people and start conversations. Diversify your offer to provide something for all sections of the community. Help people overcome the perceived and real barriers they face by making activities affordable, inclusive, attractive, and fun’.  

The headline remains but the text fades and is replaced with more text.   

‘Tell schools about your facilities and activities. Go to them or invite them to come to your facilities for taster/regular sessions. Don’t stop at young people – get the parents involved too. Persevere. If at first, they don’t come, keep trying. Engage volunteers who connect with your target audience, are good role models and who understand the local area and challenges.’  

All the text fades to be replaced by text saying, ‘big thanks to Access Sport’ above the Access Sport logo including the words ‘transforming lives through sport’ The video ends with the Buddle logo shown in the centre of a white screen, with the National Lottery, Sport England and Poplar BMX logos underneath it. The video ends.