Winner of the Keith Fergus Annual Achievement Award, Kieran Power is the Bikeability Coordinator for Midlothian. Recognised for his positivity, perseverance and commitment, Kieran oversaw 100% delivery for the first time in 2025.
We managed to squeeze ourselves into Kieran’s packed schedule to find out more about the story behind the statistic and his plans for the future of cycle training in Midlothian.
How do you feel about winning the award?
The award is a genuine surprise. Cycling is on the up in Scotland and in Midlothian and I am happy to have played my part by helping all Midlothian primary schools undertake Bikeability training in the last year. I can only assume because of my commitment to that, I've been recognised, which is wonderful, but also shines a light on all the schools, the parent volunteers and the staff at schools as well. Not just me, I'm just the face of it.
Are awards important?
Absolutely. Recognition is important because it can go a long way to engage and motivate others. It's good to celebrate in a job well done.
Tell us about your journey to 100% delivery
We have 31 primary schools now. For the first time ever, we managed to get 100% of all schools undertaking Bikeability last year. And it's been steady growth since I've come in six years ago. It was 50%, 60%, 70%, 90% and now we've finally got to 100%. That's 1500 pupils, 9
Midlothian is quite a unique local authority. I try to describe to people that do not know it, that everything's really close. All the towns are really close, but they're really far away because they're filled with fast A roads or inaccessible B roads. Cycling training will help as the area starts to develop and grow further, because it's joining up to Edinburgh at quite a fast rate now.
You can see and feel the change in confidence as they practice and demonstrate each element. That training will last in the memory for a lifetime and can be life changing.
Talk us through your role as Bikeability Coordinator
I've been working with Midlothian Council for nearly six years as the programme coordinator and the Bikeability Coordinator. I'm responsible for planning, scheduling and delivering the training to all schools using a small band of trained staff and supportive volunteers.
I predominantly deliver the training myself whilst also now training school staff to create a more sustainable future for the council. Because I'm not going to be around forever, I need the schools to not rely on the coordinator and get back to in-house training. And we're slowly but surely getting there now.
My plan of attack was, let's get all schools signed up and now that all schools have participated, they know how worthwhile it is. They know the benefits of it and know they need to continue doing it in a more sustainable manner, rather than just through myself.
What does delivery currently look like?
I'll plan and prepare and schedule the delivery, but then I'll also do the delivery. I tend to try and give one dedicated week per school. To take, for example, this week I am at Easthouses Primary School on Tuesday to Friday delivering Bikeability training to just one class. That will be a morning with one group and then the other half after break. And we'll do that over four consecutive days.
I tend to try and give one dedicated week per school. It's a bit of a bun fight. Everybody wants the same period, but I try to tell them, this is Scotland and, as you know, the weather is unpredictable so March could be very poor. There is no perfect time to do Bikeability.
What advice would you give others?
Clear communication between parties, so [in Midlothian] myself, active travel and schools. I work really closely with my colleagues in active travel who do the delivery of bikes and helmets to the schools. Without them, I would not be able to do the delivery that I do because we make sure that all children can participate.
Also working with the schools and giving them that confidence that all is in hand. All they need to do is prepare the messaging to the parents that it is happening, everything else we can take care of in Midlothian.
Signposting to engaging resources and using pupil feedback and training images. I am quite capable with a camera and so I capture training images to then share with [other] schools so they want to participate. It's helped drive participation numbers when schools see another school in the area doing it.
And how is working with the kids themselves?
The kids really surprise me. You'll have ones that will be more capable on a bike and I say, “I need you to be the instructor alongside me”. Empowering them to bring other members of the class up to the same level as they are.
You can see and feel the change in confidence as they practice and demonstrate each element. That training will last in the memory for a lifetime and can be life changing.
Have you always been a keen cyclist?
As I tell the kids, I have competed in races around Scotland. I've cycled a few endurance events over a thousand miles around Scotland, cycled to London from Musselburgh. I’ve taught [Bikeability] to over 6000 kids. And then I ask them, what age do you think I started cycling? They always give me the same answer of two, three, five. You must have been seven? I didn't cycle until I was 22 years of age. Because I started my journey late, what I've managed to achieve on a bike has certainly inspired some of the kids that I have taught since then.
I had an example last week of a child learning to ride a bike in one and half hours, which is mind blowing...
The rest of the class were absolutely buzzing. And you can see that had such an impact on the young person.
How do you feel about teaching kids to cycle?
My schoolteachers will be looking back at me and there will be disbelief. But my years of teaching children an important life skill will be the best years of my working life because any bike that I fix for a child that looked unrepairable or [when I’ve] taught non-riders cycling will always be the real standouts for me. That's what I get a genuine buzz from.
I had an example last week of a child learning to ride a bike in one and half hours, which is mind blowing. It's because they had the opportunity which they wouldn't have had previously.
We brought a bike and brought a helmet. We gave them the free space in the remaining part of the playground and they managed to learn to cycle. The rest of the class were absolutely buzzing. And you can see that had such an impact on the young person. Everybody felt it. That's where I get my genuine kicks from now. Being able to support people that will have that life skill forever, and they'll learn it from Bikeability.
Do you see kids that you have taught out cycling?
Once I was at the top of Glentress doing mountain biking with my own family and two kids came up to me and said, “You taught us Bikeability”. And then I watched them smashing it down a trail.
Any final thoughts to share?
Cycling isn’t complicated. It's about freedom and fun. Your mental health and your physical health will stay in top shape because of it.
A week after the interview, Kieran got in touch to add a little extra detail:
Whilst out on my Bikeability delivery to Newtongrange Primary, it occurred to me there was a glaring omission in what I told you. I cycle to, from and in between all 31 schools in the local authority (64 sq. miles), covering 8,000 miles per year.
Practising what is being preached.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. A longer audio version is available.