Woman who took up BMX at 41, excited for club licence

Leah Pearson, who took up the sport in her 40s, said taking part was "the biggest buzz", adding she had never been so fit before in her life [Connor Bennett/BBC] A woman who took up BMX riding as "a mid-life crisis at 41" said her club being granted a licence would help it reach "its full potential" and could help it attract national-level competitions. Peterborough BMX Club was issued a community licence by the city council on Tuesday, meaning it can apply for funding from groups such as Sport England. The council owns the track based in Orton Malborne, which is  a community sports facility that has been used by the club for more than 40 years.

Leah Pearson, who is now 54, said the new licence should "open up quite a few opportunities to be able to get some funding". Club chairman Ashley Goulding said: "The club was first formed in 1982... and has historically run national events and British championships, so we're looking to bring it back up to standard that it needs, bring more children into the sport locally and develop the club.

" The club attracts members aged as young as four to their sixties, said chairman Ashley Goulding [Connor Bennett/BBC] Under the previous licence, the city council was liable for the track's maintenance. Following the decision, the club will be liable for all its repairs,  maintenance  and improvements. Any external funding it secures would be used to upgrade the facility to a national competition standard.

"It's been a little bit of a barrier... so now we're able to really plough on, develop the site, get funding from places like National Lottery to Sports England and grow the club to its full potential," said Goulding. Pearson, who has previously been its treasurer, praised the current track standards, but added it should now be able to "finally get done to the track what we've actually planned for quite a number of years".