Two cyclists who have inspired people to 'get on their bikes' have been honoured at the British Muslim Awards.

Ahtisham and Nooralom from Burnage and Levenshulme respectively, the founders of 2 Muslim Night Riders started cycling at night and visited popular landmarks and tourist attractions in Greater Manchester when the first lockdown happened over two years ago.

They won the 'Community Pioneers of the year' award for promoting healthy living and advocating mental health while cycling and having fun at the same time.

Nooralam said: “First of all we want to thank Allah, and send salutations on our beloved Muhammad (saw) and we thank our parents and our teacher Shaykh Ahmad Dabbagh for inspiring and guiding us on how to contribute positively to society. His famous saying is to ‘Be fruitful wherever Allah has planted you’.

“To get the award was great, we actually didn't expect to win and it's very humbling to see the work we started two years ago and where it has gone now.

“Our message has reached a national level and many different organisation have contacted us from the Manchester city council, to the UK national cycling network. 

“Many young teens and adults join us on our local rides. It’s all documented on our YouTube channel and promotes cohesion all across the board regardless of colour, race or fitness level. Cycling is for everyone, regardless of background or fitness level. Our ethos is ‘Be simple be you.’

“Our objectives include:  Engaging the community from all backgrounds, promoting health and fitness and encouraging the young generation to be active by walking or cycling rather than spending all their time in front of the TV or computer games. 

He said. “We also create videos to show and motivate others to get on their bikes.

“Winning this award gives us encouragement and the support to do more as this is just the beginning.

“We find it quite amazing that what we started two years ago has come to manifest and be recognized all across the UK and internationally.”

Nooralam said: “We have come across many wonderful people on our journeys and we interact with people from different backgrounds regardless of colour or religion.”

Their plan going forward is to work with other communities outside Manchester and cycle to other cities and towns and create a video log on their channel showcasing different cities such as Liverpool, Blackburn and Rochdale.  They plan to interview community members and leaders on their journeys.

Nooralam also won an award for Corporate Achievement of the year for his company Mediawise.co.uk

To find out more about their YouTube channel click here