Pictured above: (Children l-r) Mac-Kye, 8, Robert, 9,
Leiarnah, 11, Robert, 11, Philip, 9. (Adults l-r) Adam Harries,
bike recycling supervisor and Christine Smith, Derwent Living
community regeneration officer
Derwent Living is encouraging local residents to give their
bikes a health check when it helps launch a bicycle road show on
Derby market place next week.
The Derby-based housing provider, in conjunction with Groundwork
Derby and Derbyshire will be taking the mobile workshop to Derby
market place between 10am and 3pm on Monday 26 July, where it will
be offering free cycle health checks for members of the
public.
The team will also be giving advice on the best cycle choice for
individuals, how to set-up a bike correctly and advice on basic
repairs. People will also be able to get information about cycling
in and around Derby, courtesy of the Derby City Council initiative
Cycle Derby.
The launch of the mobile bicycle workshop is part of a large
project by Derwent Living, which is being run in conjunction with
Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire, to recycle old bicycles. The
scheme's eventual aim is to mend and sell the renovated cycles to
members of the public through the workshop. This would ensure
that the workshop and its operation is entirely self
sustaining.
The project has two main aims - to divert waste from landfill by
recycling and reusing bicycles and to provide training, work
placements, physical activities and volunteering opportunities for
Derwent Living customers and the wider community. The project also
aims to teach children the importance of problem solving and
working together as part of a team.
Christine Smith, community regeneration officer at Derwent
Living said: "The launch of the mobile workshop is a really
significant part of the bike recycling project and we are excited
to finally present it to members of the public. This initial outing
will mainly be to give the public advice on their own bikes and
maintenance and also to give them more information about the
project as a whole.
"Eventually, people will be able to purchase repaired bikes at
the road shows, which is when the project becomes self sufficient.
It really is about making a big impact and the touring workshop is
a great way to do this."
Funding for the project is also coming from Cycle Derby - a
three year project within Derby with a vision to get more people
cycling, more safely, more often. The venture aims to be self
sufficient after the first year and will work as a social
enterprise, feeding the money it makes back into the
project.
For more information on the 'Bike Force - Recycle that Cycle'
initiative or for further details about the workshop, please
contact Derwent Living's community development team on 01332 614
873.
For more information about Derwent Living, please visit their
website here: www.derwentliving.com