Three women from the Welsh valleys are carving out a platform for other women to enjoy mountain biking after seeing an increasing demand in the sport.

The Sister of Send Festival was held in the Afan Valley for the first-time in 2022 after co-founders Emma Hawkins, Jessica Strange and Ally Campbell, received £16k from the Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund. The event attracted more than 200 female mountain biking enthusiasts from around the country, demonstrating interest in the sport among women.

Emma Hawkins said:

“Mountain biking is a predominately male dominated sport, which can put women off from ‘having a go’. The festival was originally designed to not only showcase the Afan Valley as a great place for mountain biking but also offer women the chance to get on their bike with like-minded women.

“It's all about creating a platform for equality in the sport by providing women with the right equipment, advise, guidance, and environment to feel confident to have a go.”

The Sisters of Send Festival, is just one of a handful of  organisations founded, owned and run by women in the Welsh Valleys that have been supported since The Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund launched in 2017.  In the past five years, The Fund has invested more than half a million pounds in championing new business ventures across the Welsh valleys – many launched, owned and run by women. This has subsequently helped to create jobs, services, events, and products that have provided the Afan, Rhondda, Cynon and Neath valleys with the vital economic boost they needed.

Kate Breeze, executive director of the Pen y Cymoedd fund said:

“The ladies behind the Sisters of Send have not only helped to create a fantastic event to display the Afan Valley as a great location for mountain biking, they are also playing a crucial role in championing equality in the sport.”

The Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund was established in 2017 by energy company Vattenfall and is designed to provide local individuals, groups, organisations, charities and businesses in Upper Neath, Afan, Rhondda and Cynon Valleys with the opportunity to apply for funding to improve and grow a local service, product, project or activity.

Now in its fifth year, the fund has already catalysed a total of £20.1 million of community investment in the Welsh valleys, supporting more than 450 local projects and businesses in its first five years of operation.

For more information on the fund or to apply please click here