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Bicycles Change Lives - updated 25th February 2012
Transport and development go hand-in-hand. Virtually everything traded, must be transported, and almost everyone needs wheels to get to work or school. Simple, affordable transport generates income opportunities in developing countries, as well as saving lots of time and back-breaking work.
In Britain, millions of bikes are thrown away or lie unused in sheds, whilst many people in Africa have no access to transport of any kind. People spend hours each day walking to collect water, firewood or to access health care, school and employment. A bicycle lightens this burden and dramatically improves their wellbeing as well as work and education opportunities helping to bring social change. A bicycle cuts travel time to a fraction and can carry passengers and heavy loads. Bikes give families the extra time to earn, learn and enjoy life.
The ever growing list below shows the countries that the bikes have been sent to since we started shipping to Africa in 1998. We have now sent more than 100 container shipments and will reach 40,000 bikes sent early in 2012 - all thanks to the donations of bikes, time and money from our many wonderful supporters. Very many thanks to all who have supported our work.
| bike counter | total: | 40,164 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon | 364 |  Liberia | 1,133 |
 Congo | 80 |  Namibia | 2,610 |
 The Gambia | 1,574 |  Nigeria | 100 |
 Ghana | 16,292 |  Sierra Leone | 85 |
 Haiti | 350 |  South Africa | 11,636 |
 Kenya | 2,238 |  Uganda | 1,013 |
 Lesotho | 453 |  Zambia | 1,160 |
 Malawi | 912 |  Tanzania | 164 |
CHELMSFORD CO-OP COLLECT BIKES FOR RE-CYCLE MAY 2012
For a LIMITED PERIOD Chelmsford Co-op to mark the celebrations for International Year of Co-operatives are co-ordinating bike collections for us in the Chelmsford area.
In the first four weeks they have collected 293 bikes for us!! A fabulous result.
Keep them coming Chelmsford!!
Please phone 01245 216914
New bike collection points open in Chelmsford - May 2012
We now have 2 collection points for bike donations in Chelmsford. If you have a bike you wish to donate and live in or can take your bike to CM2 (Gt. Baddow) area please phone Tim Hatcher 07956 106398. Thanks to CHP for the loan of the storage space that we will be using.
For all other Chelmsford donation enquiries please phone Chris Wybrow 07788 253423.
If you can, please take your bike to the collection point as collections from your address will be limited.
Fundraiser starts today :) 9 May 2012
Re~Cycle would like to welcome Kelley Parfitt, our new Trust Fundraiser, to the team.
Kelley has been fundraising for the past six years, all in international development, for which she has a passion.
She'll be working Wednesday to Friday, and raising lots of much needed funds - hint hint, please donate, even if she doesn't ask you!
Ghana update 2
Derek writes: stayed with Jason last night in his very modest 2 room village house - communal long drop latrine pit and shower from a bucket of well water. He truly lives very simply and fully integrated into village life. His only comfort is a fan which cools his sleeping area helps keep mosquitoes away. No travelling today - bliss, but busy moving stuff from the defunct Ezetela project to the new No Rush In Life Bicycle Workshop.
Jason Finch has been 'our man in Ghana' for a couple of years. He's been helping us find out about what's going on on the ground, and with setting up new projects. Has been all over Africa visiting our partners and other bike reuse projects to find out more.
Our web page on the project he's been running is here - http://www.re-cycle.org/Africa/Partners/Ghana/Ezetela
Is a link to his photos there also, with the brilliant workshop he's created by converting an old shipping container. The high quality has raised the profile of the shop and cycling in general.
The Ezetela workshop employs five mechanics and has a big focus on repairs, which keeps many bikes on the road, reduces reliance on importing bikes and saves people vital money.
Ghana update
Derek says: Another busy day with lots of time spent travelling in a crowded decrepid mini bus weaving at speed dodging pot holes and goats. Tomorrow we are attending a bike training session nearby organised by our partner the Village Bicycle Project
Hot, humid & very noisy but also very exciting
Derek, long serving employee and manager of our Colchester hub, is in Ghana for the first time. He's visiting partners to get feedback about how we can help them more, tailor our shipments and generally improve what we do.
Living in rural areas with little access to technology, the only contact we've had is through text messages, but they are certainly telling!
1. Meeting with some people from The Village Bicycle Project. They love Re~Cycle but would like us to send them more shipments!
2. Travelling back to Korforidua early tomorrow to spend the day with Ability Bikes. The container we sent last month was received recently and they are very pleased with the load. They are truly inspiring and we can take great pride in supporting their work.
We can't wait to hear more from Derek and use the feedback to improve our operations.
Re~Cycle seeks a Senior Trust Fundraiser – Brighton/Colchester/Home based
Re~Cycle is looking for someone with the ability and drive to initiate, develop and maintain a trust fundraising programme from scratch. Although Re~Cycle has received some lottery and statutory grants in the past, it has undertaken very little grant or trust fundraising before.
21 hours per week, £30,000 pro rata
CRAZIEST EVER day in Cochester - 21st March 2012
- 100+ bikes from Hetland Garden Centre, Dumfries, Scotland
- 35 bikes from our drop off point in Ipswich
- 40 bikes from Royal Mail Gatwick
- 90 bikes from Isis prison
Big Thanks to you all - though we're 'rather tired'!
We shipped to Ghana last week, so this is a good start towards the next container.
100th bike collected by Action Bikes
Generous Action Bike customers have just donated the 100th bike for Re~Cycle. Bikes that have been collected at their 5 London stores are coming to Re~Cycle for shipment to Africa via Isis Prison in Woolwich where the bikes are being refurbished in their workshop. The workshop provides useful work and learning opportunities for prisioners and ensures that we receive the bikes in good working order. Tony Yerby of Action Bikes says that the number of bikes coming in is steadily increasing as word of the project spreads.
We are enormously grateful for the enthusiasm and commitment of Tony and his colleagues at Action Bikes for making this collection project work and for the generousity of their customers who have donated their old bikes to us.
One of the 100 bikes collected by Action Bikes - kindly donated by David Hammond from Haddenham, Bucks