A Brixton man who influenced the growth of BMX biking in London has been honoured for his lifelong contribution to the sport. Ken Floyde, who founded the Brixton Bandits, London’s oldest club for BMX riders, received a British Citizen Award at the House of Lords last month. Floyde, a popular figure in the local community, was presented with a Medal of Honour at a ceremony in Westminster. The 54-year-old (pictured below to the right) has devoted more than 30 years of his life to helping residents, young and old, to hone their BMX skills.
The Brockwell Park based club he created shortly after the 1981 Brixton riots, has nurtured some of Britain’s most talented and celebrated BMX stars. Former members include racing legend Charlie Reynolds and BMX World Championship Bronze medallist Tre Whyte.
The British Citizen Awards, viewed in some quarters as an alternative to the establishment’s royalty and empire based honours system, was created as a means of celebrating people make outstanding contributions to their communities.
Floyde, who was nominated for a prize by Brixton BMX member Mike Woof, says news of his award came as a “pleasant surprise”.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by all the good wishes I received from my family, my friends, from people on social media and even people I don’t know who have been following what we do with the club”, says Floyde. “These awards are all about ordinary people and it’s a great honour to receive this kind of recognition.”
Brixton BMX Club are continuing with their efforts to raise funds to maintain and upgrade the BMX track in Brockwell Park. The club recently set up training sessions for young people with disabilities as part of Access Sport’s Ignite programme.
“We’re one of six clubs in London running these inclusive BMX sessions and we have been doing them since November last year”, says Floyde.
