Community groups have been given funding in a bid to get more minority groups on the saddle.

A total of 30 groups were given money from the Cycling Grants London scheme to encourage under-represented groups to take up cycling.

One of the winning schemes is Walthamstow’s Hornbeam JoyRiders.

The women’s cycle club puts on rides during school hours for mothers and other women, provides weekly training sessions and organises family outings in school holidays.

The group focuses mainly on encouraging Muslim women and stay-at-home mothers to get out on their bikes and has been granted £9,998 over a three year period of the Mayor of London’s funding.

Carolyn Axtell, the lead member and founder of Hornbeam JoyRiders, said: “We aim to empower women through introducing them to the joys of cycling, which can also help to build their confidence in other areas of life.

“Two years ago I discovered that at least 90 per cent of the other local mums would love to cycle but had not had the opportunity, or had barriers preventing them, such as lack of confidence and not knowing how to cycle.

“This is why I started organising informal, social bike rides.

“The Cycling Grants London funding has enabled me to build a strong, ever-expanding network of participants and volunteers, as previously we did not have enough volunteer ride leaders to accommodate all of the demand.”

Figures quoted by Transport for London show just one in four people from non-white or mixed backgrounds cycled at least once in 2017/18, compared to 37 per cent of people from white backgrounds.

And just 15 per cent of people from non-white or mixed backgrounds commuted by bike at least once in 2017/18, compared to 40 per cent of people from white backgrounds.

The winning projects stretch across London and range from schemes to train young people in bike maintenance, a project that encourages women working in hospitals to cycle, training for young offenders to become bike mechanics, cycling groups for disabled and homeless people and a cycle training and maintenance project for the Hindu Bengali community.

Since 2015, Cycling Grants London have encouraged more than 18,000 people to cycle.

The programme is part of TfL’s sustained investment in cycling to make it easier and more appealing.

The transport company aims to break down the barriers to cycling and make it safer, more diverse and more accessible to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

An early success of the project is the number of women cycling in London, which has increased four per cent in the last three years.

Since Quietway 1 was launched in 2016, the number of women using the route has increased from 29 to 35 per cent.

Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “We want Londoners of all ages and backgrounds to take up cycling and enjoy the huge benefits.

“These grants directly support local groups to run brilliant projects in their communities encouraging many more people on to two wheels.

“By giving Londoners of all abilities, ages and backgrounds the confidence to cycle, we can improve their health and quality of life, as well as reducing toxic air pollution, which improves our city for everyone.”

Cllr Clyde Loakes, deputy leader of Waltham Forest Council and cabinet member for the environment, said: “Grants like these ones and the support we continue to provide which includes free bike and cargo bike hire, cycle training and maintenance for cycles, help to enable more of our residents to get on a bike, and discover, or rediscover the thrill of cycling.

“The work we have been doing to reduce through traffic on residential streets and investing in segregated cycle lanes on our main routes is designed to support and encourage people of all genders, ages and ability to travel around by bike."

The Mayor and TfL are working closely with boroughs across London to create up to 400km of new cycling routes to add to London’s ever growing cycling network.

More than 140km of cycle routes have been constructed so far during this Mayoral term, which the mayor’s office claim has made cycling safer at 86 junctions across London.