Good bicycles still wanted
Do you or someone you know have a bicycle to donate?
A pioneering project to provide free bicycles to job seekers, NHS patients and community groups is making a fresh plea for any unwanted roadworthy bicycles. Unwanted mountain bikes and hybrid bikes are preferred, racing bikes and small-wheeled shoppers are not wanted.
Simon Carpenter, who has been involved with the bicycle Re-Cycling project for several years said
"For many clients access to a free bicycle has revolutionised their lives, providing them with low cost travel, especially in areas with poor public transport services. Cycling provides a viable, healthy and relatively inexpensive alternative. This is an incredibly worthwhile project, highly dependent on people donating unwanted bicycles—so we really want people to spread the word about what we are doing."
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The Re-Cycling project was first launched in 1998 by Health Promotion Service Avon (part of the National Health Service) in partnership with Bristol cycling charity, Cycle West. Between 1998 and 2002, over 300 bicycles have been collected for recycling, some from the public, others from the police (unclaimed property) and a substantial number obtained through the Inside Out Trust, a charity who work closely with the Prison Service to provide prisoners serving a custodial sentence with useful skills.
Roadworthy bicycles are passed directly to people in need. The remaining bicycles (the ones that require a major overhaul) are taken down to Shaftesbury Prison in Dorset where the prisoners repair and refurbish them. A number of these bicycles will come back to Bristol, others will be distributed to other parts of the country, while some go out to Africa.
As the demand for bicycles has grown the Re-Cycling project has struggled to supply the number of bicycles requested by clients and client groups. The Primary Care Trusts across Avon and Cycle West are presently bidding for funding to develop a more sustainable Re-Cycling project. In the meantime the Re-Cycling Project still wants those unwanted roadworthy bicycles.
If you or someone you know has a bicycle to donate this is what you/they need to do:
Take the bicycles to the CREATE Centre (phone (0117) 922 4370 reception, between 9am–5pm weekdays)—they are stored here. The CREATE Centre is located on Smeaton Road, Bristol (large red brick tobacco warehouse).
The Re-Cycling Project team do most of their business by bicycle so do not normally have access to a van to collect your unwanted bicycles.
If you require more information please contact Simon Carpenter at Bristol South & West Primary Care NHS Trust, by phoning (0117) 900 2600.
