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STOP - now into the email form on my computer.... Ta
http://www.re-cycle.org/Funding/See-The-Difference_Working
*E-NEWS from Re~Cycle* DECEMBER 2009
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THIS CHRISTMAS, GIVE THE GIFT OF MOBILITY
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Left your Christmas shopping or card posting to the last minute again this year? Don't panic! It's not too late to buy a Re~Cycle gift or send an e-card.
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Honour a friend, colleague or family member with an online donation http://www.re-cycle.org/Donate/Money
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Your contribution will improve people’s lives. Downloadable giving cards are available for all donations.
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Christmas card: http://benbikes.org.za/namibia/donate/donateonline.html
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We've also got a new facility where you can buy gifts in the form of bikes, bicycle ambulances and such forth - HERE
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Christmas cards:
- to receive donation to Re~Cycle (with a message) instead of getting an Christmas card, click HERE
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- to send out an e-card on behalf of Re~Cycle, click HERE
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[There might be some duplication here - not sure if the second Christmas card link is the same as the first. Also, always 'Christmas' not 'Xmas' as the latter can offend some people...Sigh...]
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THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS
Re~Cycle is nothing without its supporters. A big thank you to the many individuals who have donated and helped this year. Special thanks to Vanessa Watson for the successful bike drive in September and to Jason Finch for is wonderful support from Africa. Find out more about these stories below.
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GENERAL UPDATE
In 2009 Re~Cycle shipped 2,781 bikes to 6 countries - two shipments to both Ghana and South Africa and one shipment each to Namibia, Zambia, Kenya and a small shipment to DR Congo. [Disappointingly, this is rather less than were sent out last year.] [I would cut this sentence unless you can explain why it was less than last year. If you want to keep it then at least cut the 'disappointingly'] Bikes were shipped to two new partners in 2009: to Zambia supported by UK charity, The Kaloko Trust www.kalokotrust.org and to Kenya supported by another UK charity, Glad's House http://www.gladshouse.com/index.php/news/109-projects#bikes.
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Vanessa Watson and her team of helpers from the Chew Valley, Somerset, organised a fantastically successful bike collection that resulted in 376 bikes being delivered to our warehouse in Colchester for sending for Africa. We hope for more of the same in other regions.
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KEEP POSTIES CYCLING
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The biggest challenge we faced in 2009 has been the reduced supply of bikes from The Royal Mail. We have received just over 200 former postman's bikes this year compared to over 2,000 in previous years.
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Looking forward to 2010, Royal Mail are planning to phase out almost entirely the use of bicycles as a means of mail delivery starting from early in the year. This poses two problems for us. Firstly, we are expecting to receive a flood of these bikes over the next two years (up to 10,000 a year) which will be hugely challenging. Secondly, once the fleet is disposed of, we will lose our ongoing supply of strong, reliable bikes so favoured by our African partners. Photos of the bikes are HERE http://www.re-cycle.org/Gallery/RoyalMail
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There's been a few articles in the press about the change and a petition to Number 10 Downing Street has been set up asking that the postmen are allowed to continue to use bikes. To support the petition, please sign - HERE
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AFRICAN PARTNERS
We (and our US sister charities) continuously seek feedback from our African partners. Read a sample HERE:http://www.re-cycle.org/Africa/Reports
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Jason Finch, who's helped Re~Cycle ship bikes from London, is now living in Ghana for a year with his partner, helping an African Partner get established. Jason will help collect additional feedback from our projects there, and plans to help set up others.
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SPONSORED BIKE RIDES
We've been amazed at the number of people doing sponsored bike rides for us, after we set up a JustGiving online sponsorship form. The catalyst for doing this was some great people at Transport for London and Disney doing group rides, and lots of people have done all sorts of rides, and Big Thanks to each and every one of you.
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Rob Forbes deserves HUGE THANKS for doing a triathlon from the UK to South Africa. This is quite phenomenal and makes him this year's Volunteer of the Year. So far he's raised £14,028. Check out his site HERE, his blog is short and highly entertaining!
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We'll be trying to make sponsored rides easier to organise, and putting up information of organised rides people can join in here - http://www.re-cycle.org/Charity_Bike_Ride
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And the main How To do a sponsored bike ride, with lots of good info is here - http://www.re-cycle.org/How_To/Charity_Bike_Ride
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WALES HUB OPENING
Shawn who's raised money for us with his Solar Bike [LINK - http://www.solarbikewales.co.uk ] has found a large barn in llwynygroes, 7 miles from lampeter.
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We’re looking for people to help run this new Mid Wales Collection Hub. Work includes preparing and loading bikes, outreach, volunteer coordination, marketing etc. Will have a focus on disabilities. Please forward to people in the area, or in Wales who may like to get involved.
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HOW RE~CYCLE CHANGES LIVES: MEET AN AFRICAN MECHANIC
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Sandra Fredricks is a 23-year-old woman from Walvis Bay, Namibia - pictured here receiving certificates for her training in bicycle mechanics and entrepreneurship.
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In 2006, she found out during her first pregnancy that she was HIV positive. Her daughter Charntelle was born in late 2006, but passed away 14 months later. Working as a domestic cleaner, Sandra had little faith in the future. Six months after the death of her first daughter, she was pregnant again.
The death of her child, the weight of living with HIV and the new pregnancy led her to despair and she tried to kill herself.
The attempt failed, and her uncle put her in contact with the Walvis Bay HIV support group. In one meeting, Sandra heard about training in bicycle mechanics that would be offered for members of the group. "I went to the support group and begged them for a place. I was chosen and felt so happy," she says.
Her second daughter, Vanessa, was born in 2007 and is HIV negative. Through the support group, Sandra was informed of what she had to do to keep her child healthy and to avoid passing on the virus.
In May 2009 Sandra had the bicycle mechanic training, and is now part of the Welwitschia Bicycle Shop, a BEC project run by support group members. "There aren't many women fixing bikes, but I saw some of them in BEN Namibia projects and now I know we can also do that...Now I have my own income, I can support my daughter and my mother and I'm proud of myself," she says with a smile.
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Thanks to Gisele Netto and the Bicycle Empowerment Network (BEN) Namibia for compiling this report.
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IN MEMORIAM
Sadly, we lost our much loved Colchester volunteer, David Hunt, who died suddenly in October. David was very enthusiastic in his support of our work and offered Re~Cycle great practical assistance as an experienced bike mechanic. His church in Brightlingsea where the funeral service was held was full, a testament to the warm regard in which he was held by all who knew him. David supported a large number of good causes that he generously gave his energy and time to. He is very fondly remembered and will be greatly missed.
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WHAT’S NEW
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Facebook is a new avenue for Re~Cycle! Please join our group, and send it on to your friends. LINK
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We’re also on Twitter - http://twitter.com/BicycleCharity I confess to being unsure as to how best use this (or to having the time to maximise it), so if you've time and or ideas, I welcome your help. More info here: http://www.re-cycle.org/Twitter/Working
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We’re now on eBay so, if you can't get your bike to us, you can sell it and the money goes to Re~Cycle. You can also sell your old stuff, and give from 10-100% of the money to Re~Cycle. Re~Cycle is also selling bike parts on eBay to finance our shipping of whole bikes to Africa
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http://donations.ebay.co.uk/charity/charity.jsp?NP_ID=34325
http://www.re-cycle.org/eBay
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Check out our new web site (thanks to Santys [LINK] for the design)
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It is based on User Generated Content (UGC), so everyone interested in helping out can log on and edit it, rather than relying on one webmaster.
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New features include:
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- database of global bicycle re-use projects, so people can find nearest place wanting bikes - http://www.re-cycle.org/node/154?maxDistance=100&postcode=CO1+2TJ - help needed with this, telling projects to register, see - HERE
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- ‘How To’ guides - HERE - which will be all about how to set up and run a bike re-use project (be it part of Re~Cycle or independent), do a sponsored bike ride, make art from 'dead' bikes...
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[To help with marketing, please look HERE http://www.re-cycle.org/Marketing/WorkingFor other areas to help, please look HERE - http://www.re-cycle.org/VolunteerLast, this is our list of things to do - http://www.re-cycle.org/Site/Jobs_To_Do]
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[Suggest cutting the bracketed multiple links above and directing people to just one 'how to help' link with the heading: Want to get involved in the website? Find out more]
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Enjoy your festive break :)
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Merlin and all at Re~Cycle
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TO LEARN MORE ABOUT RE~CYCLE
- visit our updated website: http://www.re-cycle.org
- see a powerpoint presentation about Re~Cycle's work at the bottom of this page: http://re-cycle.org/About
- watch the Re~Cycle video here: http://re-cycle.org/Video/First_Film
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Follow us here:
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/BicycleCharity
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6999445238
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Email: info@re-cycle.org - mailto:info@re-cycle.org
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