How learning to cycle is helping London's asylum seekers

London charity The Bike Project is part of a scheme helping women who have fled war, persecution and poverty gain confidence with lessons on donated second-hand bikes

Until recently, Ci(C)lestine had never ridden a bike. Only now, in her mid-50s, after fleeing her home in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo and applying for asylum in the UK, has she finally been given the chance.

It is a bright summer morning in Wapping as she slowly pedals her way through a park, draped in a high-visibility vest that glints whenever the sun comes out. For many of us, cycling is the most natural thing in the world. For this woman, it is nothing short of extraordinary.