The UK’s Biggest Bike Recycler!

Contribution to sustainable development and people’s quality of life:

• Improve air quality
• Increase active lifestyles
• Promotion of cycling and cycling enterprise
• Improve economic well-being of communities

Organisation: Groundwork Leicester & Leicestershire

Sector: Voluntary/Charity

Location: Leicester and Leicestershire

Address: 26-28 Queen Street, Leicester, LE1 1QW

Start Date: September 2004

Duration: Ongoing

Summary:

Groundwork’s, Bikes 4 All programme is a sustainable bike recycling community enterprise that adopts a three-pronged approach to development and growth:

• Environmental - by diverting redundant bicycles away from landfill.
• Social: to create employment, engage disadvantaged groups in work-based training, and promote active lifestyles within local communities.
• Financial: to become financially self-sustaining through trading activities, service contracts and other sources of earned income.

Background:

Bikes for All has identified a gap in the market for the provision of refurbished bicycles, and for the promotion of sustainable methods of transport. The project sources redundant and unwanted bicycles from households across Leicestershire to avoid their disposal in landfill.

As well as offering a service for the provision of refurbished bicycles, the project works with the long-term unemployed, refugees, young offenders and other vulnerable individuals to provide training and employment experience that will lead to an accredited qualification. Currently, bicycles are sold at low-cost to promote cycling as a way of improving quality of life for all, undertaking regular exercise, and as a means of increasing mobility and thus access to employment opportunities.

Project results:

In 2007, the project recycled and refurbished for re-use over 5000 bicycles, trained over 300 people from disadvantaged backgrounds in NVQ level 1 cycle mechanics, and donated over 400 bicycles to school children to help them learn how to cycle to school safely.
 

Keywords: Bike recycling, second hand bikes, community, repairs and maintenance, cycle maintenance training

Contact Details:

Tim Hudson, Sustainable Transport Team Manager
Dan Clark, Bikes 4 All Business Development Manager

Tel: 0116 246 0048

Fax: 0116 248 9519

E-mail: bikes4all@gwll.org.uk

Web: www.bikes4all.org.uk 

Updated: 2 April 2008