Video: York recreates Hovis ad in first part of video campaign designed to promote cycling

A series of videos has been produced by i-Travel York to promote the benefits of travelling via different modes of sustainable transport, reports the Northern Echo. In this trailer for the first instalment – which will be released to coincide with the Tour of Yorkshire – we see Andrew Dunn in a recreation of the famous Hovis advert.

A steep cobbled climb in Haworth might not seem to make cycling all that appealing, but it is a light-hearted series and this first short video is really little more than a teaser. Haworth will be visited by the Tour de Yorkshire in May and the full video, a Grand ride, will be released then.

The videos have been written by Bafta award winning scriptwriter, Jimmy Richards, who is from York, and will be released throughout the year.

Dunn, who has starred in Coronation Street and Dinnerladies, will be the face of the campaign.

“As a York resident I know it’s not always easy travelling around the city, so anything which helps get the message out there that there’s support for people to try cycling or catching the bus more, I’m happy to be a part of.

“Like a lot of the characters I play, it’s done in a very light hearted way and it’s been a great project to be a part of. I’ve even taken up cycling a bit more to get into character.”

David Short, iTravel York programme manager, said that increasing numbers of York residents were reconsidering how they travelled about the city. He said that cycle counters across the city had reported that cycle journeys increased by 35 per cent between 2008 and 2014.