In the UK, thousands of bikes are thrown away or lie unused in sheds and garages, whilst many people in Africa have no access to transport of any kind.
Merlin Matthews set up Re~Cycle: Bikes to Africa in 1998 to establish a bike re-use project collecting quality bikes from the UK, with the aim of sending them to partner organisations in Africa where local mechanics were trained to refurbish and maintain the bikes.
Supporting for ten years
On the Isle of Wight, Tony Harman set up a local collection scheme to take unwanted bikes from the Island to the charity’s headquarters in Colchester. In 2014, after Tony’s untimely death, Sue Bailey stepped into the voluntary role of coordinating the collection, preparation and delivery of bikes from the Isle of Wight.
Bailey: A need for new blood
Sue said,
“We have taken over fifteen hundred bikes to Re~Cycle in Colchester, since I took over. For some people living in parts of rural Africa, the average time spent walking to school, work, or collecting water can be four hours a day so it feels like we will have made a significant difference to many people’s lives.
“But now I am looking for someone to pass the baton on to. I feel Re~Cycle Isle of Wight needs someone with fresh energy and ideas to take the reins.
“We need to find a new storage facility for donated bikes, arrange regular drop off days and find economically viable and sustainable ways to take the bikes to Colchester. Wightlink and Bartletts have given us fantastic support to date, but lots more could be done with a new person looking for new opportunities.”
Get in touch
If you think this sounds like something you could do, email [email protected] and Sue can contact you to explain what the voluntary role involves.
Sue said,
“It has been great to be involved with receiving unwanted bikes on the Island. Most bikes have a little story behind them and many owners turn up with bikes that they want to see continue being of use in a different place. They might have ridden the bikes frequently, to get to work and, now retired, and maybe with a health issue, find themselves unable to ride anymore. It’s good to think that a bicycle can have many ‘lives’ with a new owner.”
Sending bikes to Africa for 25 years
Re~Cycle has been sending bikes to Africa for 25 years and has sent over 130,000 bikes and hundreds of thousands of spare parts.
For more information about the charity and its partners in Africa see the Website.
News shared by Sue on behalf of Re~cycle Isle of Wight. Ed
