Career gear-change as journalist couple launch bike tours

Emily Price

Two journalists are embarking on a career gear change with the launch of a city bike tour business which will explore the tales and trails of Wales’ capital.

Broadcast journalists Beccy Leach and Mark Hutchings have been delivering the headlines from Wales for decades.

Both keen cyclists, the married couple are launching Ding this St David’s Day.

The community-focused social enterprise will celebrate active-travel sightseeing around Cardiff.

The tours will take visitors and local people on distinctive blue bike around the city centre, Cardiff Bay and Llandaff – helmets will be provided.

Mark, a former network TV and radio correspondent, left the BBC last year to go freelance.

Reporting

His long broadcast career has taken in major events around Wales, as well as across the UK and abroad, including covering Brexit from Westminster and the football World Cup in Russia.

“It’s a bit of a gear-change,” he said. “I’ve reported from pretty much every spot on our tours but now we’ll be passing on the story of Cardiff in a slightly different way.

I may even throw in some anecdotes from all my years in journalism. And the odd joke.”

Mark’s current work includes tutoring at University of Cambridge Online, Cardiff University and Cardiff Met.

Born in Pontypool, he’s lived and worked in the Welsh capital for most of his adult life.

“We want to help make cycling part of the fabric of the city, sharing it with care – something that will increasingly come naturally to people.

“Cardiff is wonderfully flat for cycling and if it rains, which experience has told us it occasionally does, we have some waterproof orange ponchos for people to use.”

Beccy, a producer and university lecturer, said: “We’ve been on loads of bike tours elsewhere. It’s definitely the best way to get to know a city.

“You don’t need to be fit. Just to be able to ride a bike.

“We love the city and hope to be able to show off all its best bits to visitors. And there’ll be plenty of interesting facts to help locals learn more about the place where they live.

“Added to that, we want to support local businesses, so we’ll be stopping for refreshments and tasty treats on the way round.”

Sustainability

The venture has been boosted with funding from the business group, FOR Cardiff.

Carolyn Brownell, Executive Director (Interim) at FOR Cardiff said: “We’re pleased that the City Ambition Fund has been able to support this new tourist initiative for the city and even more pleased that the funding was used to champion sustainability.

“The Ding tours bring something new to Cardiff’s offering in a city that is becoming increasingly cycle friendly and we’re also thrilled to know that the tours will be available multilingually.

“Providing opportunities for people to test out great ideas like this one is exactly why we set up the City Ambition Fund back in 2021 and it’s always great to see those ideas come to life.”

Ding will officially launch with a party on 1st March at the Bike Lock Café in Cardiff, with bookings for tours opening in the next few weeks.