A London BMX club has landed a prestigious prize for its work supporting disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs.
Brixton BMX Club was established by Ken Floyde in 1981, after the Brixton uprising, to develop young talent at the track in Brockwell Park.
Camilla Morris joined the club’s safeguarding and welfare officer after her son got into the sport during the Covid pandemic and their outstanding community efforts have now been recognised nationally, with Brixton named Children & Young People Club of the Year, supported by Bikmo, at the 2026 British Cycling Awards, presented by Lloyds, which take place on November 14.
Morris said: “We have a lot of kids who wouldn’t be able to afford to do BMX otherwise, so we keep our classes at quite a low price.
“Myself and another coach will bring food for them to have at the track so that they can train on a full belly. We’ve provided clothing as well to some of the children, like a winter coat.
“Brixton is quite a gang-heavy area and we want to do whatever we can to keep the kids off the streets. That’s always been Ken’s vision.”
The club has been a breeding ground for young BMX talent. Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte and six-time BMX Champion of Champions Charlie Reynolds both spent their formative years there.
This year, two riders from the club, Dominic Elliott and Hunter Malyon, competed at the men’s World Championships in Brisbane, in the 50+ and 13-14 categories respectively.
But for Morris, a financial administrator in private equity, the most important work is with the children.
She said: “It’s always been a passion of mine to help people on the poverty line, or children who have additional needs.
“There are lots of kids with sensory problems and a lot of people aren’t fully equipped to know what that means, because the spectrum is so vast.
“BMX particularly attracts a lot of children with those additional needs and I really want to see them supported.”
The club has exclusive use of the Brockwell Park track for eight hours every weekend, but it is well used by the wider public outside those times.
Morris said: “There’s a team of us that take them to races across the country. The races are quite full-on. There’s a lot of loud music, there’s a lot of people, and it can be very overwhelming for children with additional needs.
“We didn’t want that to be a restriction, so we explain to the children what will happen on the day and make slight modifications that might enable them to handle the day more easily.”
The British Cycling Awards presented by Lloyds is celebrating those inspiring individuals who have brought the joy of cycling to communities across the country, through their performance on the global stage, to their tireless work at grassroots level. See how you can join the movement of cycling by visiting britishcycling.org.uk
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