Swale Cycle-re-Cycle sale
Published
Thursday 19 December, 2024
Updated
Thursday 19 December, 2024
Give the gift of outdoor fun this Christmas with a refurbished bicycle from Swale Borough Council’s Cycle-re-Cycle scheme.
The council will be selling 35 refurbished bicycles on a first come first served basis from 10 am to 12 pm on 20 December from Swale House Car Park.
More than 150 bikes have already been refurbished and have been sold on for just £10 through local community groups, making the scheme self-funding and sustainable.
HMP Swaleside inmates refurbish the unwanted bikes whilst working towards a City & Guilds in Bike Mechanics qualification, provided by the Canterbury Bike Project.
This gives them the opportunity to upskill themselves and make a positive step toward rehabilitation.
The scheme also aims to provide Swale residents with affordable, environmentally friendly transportation, that helps them keep active and healthy.
The council funded the initial supply of bike parts and workshop consumables, while Canterbury Bike Project trained an instructor to deliver the City & Guilds qualification at the prison.
If you have a roadworthy bike – two wheels and two brakes - you’d like to donate, drop it off at the donation point at the Sheerness Household Waste Recycling Centre, along with new or good condition used parts.
Cllr Rich Lehmann, chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, said:
“Our Cycle-re-Cycle scheme is a clever way to turn something that would usually end up in the rubbish - unwanted bikes - into something that benefits Swale in a number of impactful ways.
“Through the scheme prisoners are able to work towards their rehabilitation and get a City & Guilds qualification which gives them a platform to restart their lives after serving their time.
“The refurbished bikes are then sold on for £10 offering a cheap, healthy and environmentally friendly transportation option to our residents.
“Thank you to our partners who have helped make this scheme such a success, to all those who have donated bikes and to the charities who have helped us get them back into the community.
“We look forward to continuing this work in the new year and growing the scheme, so keep an eye out for more donation and sale days coming up.”
