For many families, the start of the school year in September is as much about new starts and resolutions as the New Year. With the long summer holidays behind us, and a chance to regroup and recharge the batteries a little, it is a great time to make better lifestyle choices moving forward.
A great new school year resolution is cycling to school with your children. It is good for both physical and mental health and an ideal way to start and end the school day. It is also another small way to cut our carbon footprint, by swapping four wheels for two.
Of course, you will need the right safety gear for your children and, if you are looking for a great helmet, the new range from Dashel has it all.
British cycle helmet maker, Dashel, is known for making cycling helmets that are safe and sustainable, while also looking super-stylish. They have just launched their new Ocean Range of helmets for children, designed to grow with your child. This means they last longer, making them more even more eco-friendly and great value.
Children grow fast and sometimes cycle helmets, like shoes, are worn for one school year and then thrown away as the child outgrows them. In line with their unfaltering commitment to sustainability, Dashel’s new helmets ‘grow’ as your child does. The helmet has a ring dial adjuster inside, allowing it to fit heads as small as 52cm (approx. 4-years-old). This can be altered as the child grows and, when the adjuster feels too snug, it can simply be taken out and swapped for pads. This makes the helmet fit up to two sizes larger, without compromising on safety. When the helmet is finally outgrown it can be passed to smaller siblings or sent back to Dashel for recycling.
Ocean Range
The Kids’ Ocean Range comes in five colours, which includes two branded Sea Shepherd helmets; the black Jolly Roger helmet (perfect for pirate enthusiasts) and the Blue Whale helmet (perfect for nature enthusiasts), plus red, yellow and turquoise.
The part your kids will love is that each Ocean Range helmet has a loop at the back made from ghost net – discarded fishing nets, which pollute the planet’s seas and kill millions of birds, fish and marine mammals every year. Global charity, Sea Shepherd locates and removes these dumped nets and Bracenet recycles them into new products. Dashel uses these ghost nets as loops for the back of the helmet – thereby making the helmets not only sustainable but also part of the solution to removing plastic from our oceans. It’s bound to be the talk of the playground!
The first batch of helmets all have loops made from nets retrieved from The Baltic Sea where seals, whales and dolphins swim. As well as purchasing these loops made from nets these helmets provide additional support to Sea Shepherd with 10% of the sale price going direct to the charity.
These ghost net loops are perfect for attaching lights to the helmet and improving visibility when cycling or scooting. Dashel sells Pixel lights from its website but plenty of other brands work with the helmets.
Team GB
Alternatively, if your child has been inspired by this Summer’s Olympics, Dashel’s Team GB helmet are perfect for them! Dashel has held the Team GB Olympic licence for some years now and is passionate about encouraging everyday cyclists, whatever their age, while raising money for Team GB athletes. Fifteen per cent of every sale in this range goes to Team GB.
Whether your child cycles to school as though they are competing with the elite or simply enjoy a leisurely ride, the stylish design, including the Team GB logo, Olympic rings, and choice of colours – red, white and blue – means they will definitely be doing it in style.
Safety first
Dashel helmets’ eco credentials and great looks will have the kids convinced no doubt but, of course, the most important factor is that the helmets are safe. Having been certified and tested for both cycling and scooting, parents can be reassured by the knowledge that these are some of the very safest helmets on the market.
The new children’s range is available online now at www.dashel.co.uk and from selected retailers (RRP £55.00).
ABOUT DASHEL
Dashel offers a range of slim, ventilated, lightweight cycle helmets designed and manufactured in the UK. With a distinctive urban feel, the helmets appeal to those looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous ‘sporty’ helmets, instead wanting something stylish that doesn’t compromise on safety. Dashel Helmets have low impact at the point of manufacture, and produce very little waste. The factory in Devon uses 100% green and renewable energy. They come in an array of classic colours and are priced at £55.00.
Web: www.dashel.co.uk
Instagram: @dashelcyclehelmets
Twitter: @dashelcyclehelmets
Facebook: facebook.com/dashelhelmets
Pinterest:@dashelcyclehelmets
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherine-bedford-b55a883
ABOUT SEA SHEPHERD
Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s ocean from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. https://seashepherd.org/