A CHARITY worker, who runs events to promote cycling among school children in Swindon, could lose her job in April due to the public spending cuts.

Ruth James, Bike It officer for the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, has received most of her funding from Cycling England since the project started locally in 2007.

But this portion of the funding will end in April because the public body was one of those earmarked to be abolished by the government in the public spending review.

Now Ruth is appealing for alternative sources of funding so she can stay in the post, which she claims is vital to developing healthy lifestyles and sustainable forms of transport.

She said: “If the project has to end I would cry.

“It would be a bitter disappointment when it’s been such a successful project.

“Some schools I have been to will continue to promote and encourage cycling but eventually even the schools who have got these levels of cycling will drop off.

“And the schools I haven’t been to yet, what chance do they have?”

Bike It, which has 58 officers across the UK, aims to create a culture of cycling by running practical events at schools, such as bike breakfasts and puncture repair classes.

Ruth has so far visited 27 of the 80 Swindon schools and is now working with several schools, including Tregoze, Haydon Wick and Swindon Academy.

Bike It in Swindon costs £65,000 a year, although Ruth says it could be delivered for £50,000 if the budget for activities is cut back.

Swindon Council has committed to fund a third of the cost next financial year but the rest has always been funded by Cycling England.

Ruth says that if the full funding cannot be found for the next financial year, she will probably lose her job because the post will not be viable, and consequently the project will fold.

A spokesman for Swindon Council said: “The Bike It officer is an employee of the charity Sustrans, and the council has committed to fund a third of the cost of the post because there is a clear benefit to Swindon from the work that is done.

“Unfortunately the cuts in the grants that make up the rest of the funding for the job are not something the council can control.

“We will now have to examine how we proceed from here, taking into account the competing priorities that we have and the budget pressures that we face.”

Anyone who can help financially can call Ruth on 01793 466019.