Community bike projects

We often get visitors in our shop who just want enthuse about the wonderful 2 wheeled wonder.

A gentleman came in today to chat about cycling, his ideal cycling holiday and how bikes are helping communities all over the world. So I thought I’d track down some of these communities, some on our doorstep and some a little further away.

Local community bike projects

1. Simply Cycling.

Simply Cycling are a charity we’ve known about for a while and raised money for on a few occasions. They are a not-for-profit organisation whose main aim is to offer cycling to everyone of all abilities. They started in 2004 with encouragement from Manchester City Council’s Leisure Services Disability Development as an inclusive cycling club where disabled people come first. Since then they provide sessions at Wythenshawe Park, Longford Park and Boggart Hall Clough. They amazingly have the most extensive range of adapted bikes anywhere in the country. These include 180 adapted bikes, trikes, hand cycles, wheelchair accessible bikes, tandems and side by sides to suit all abilities.

Support Simply Cycling

http://www.simply-cycling.org/

2. Platt Fields Bike hub.

These cycling enthused folk have created a space designed to host community focused bicycle projects. They’re a not-for-profit group working to improve cycling in Manchester. Offering tool clubs, repair session, maintenance courses, group rides and on-road cycle training.

Support Plattfields Bike Hub

http://plattfieldsbikehub.org.uk/about-us/

3. The Bike Hive

The Bike Hive is a community bike project, based in Alexandra Park, South Manchester, M16. The project supports a growing number of people from across the local area to ride, recycle, build, repair and have fun with bikes.

Support The Bike Hive

http://www.thebikehive.co.uk/

Other community bike projects

1. Village Bicycle Project – Ghana

Working with villages who have little or no access to public transport, the Village Bicycle Project provide bikes to rural villages. They also hold maintenance workshops. Village Bicycle Project try to ensure that 20% of the participants are women. They aim to improve mobility for people to gain better access to jobs, school and healthcare.

https://www.villagebicycleproject.org/our-work/learn-to-ride/

2. The Bike Project – South London

A team of volunteers refurbish second-hand bikes,which have been donated to them. Then they distribute the bikes to destitute refugees and asylum seekers. This independence the bike brings allows for the user to access resources that could bring them our of poverty. They also run maintenance sessions for anyone wishing to learn a new skill.

http://thebikeproject.co.uk/what-we-do/

3. Recycles Merseyside – Liverpool

A Liverpool based bike project, which supports local people who are unemployed, asylum seekers or have learning disabilities. The social enterprise, set up by The Salvation Army’s Stoneycroft Corps (church) in the Old Swan area of Liverpool, offers a bike mechanic course to local people, many of whom are experiencing homelessness.

The course attendees refurbish bikes which have been donated to the project, giving them hands on experience and the ability to learn new skills.

In May 2017 they held their first bike sale.

http://news.salvationarmy.org.uk/tags/recycles-merseyside

Tell us if you know anymore bike projects that make a difference by commenting on this article.

It’ll be great to hear of anymore ways the bike is helping various communities.