Giving Black Friday: The Bike Project
The Bike Project is a fantastic charity that collects unused second hand bikes and refurbishes them to give them a new life as a donation for a refugee in the UK. Those seeking asylum in the UK receive just £5.66 a day to cover their living expenses. Paying for public transport would be a significant drain on this, and that's where having a bicycle can really come in handy.
Since its foundation in 2013, The Bike Project has donated 8,842 bikes to asylum seekers in this country; helping them to integrate into their communities and saving them an estimated £1,000 each in transport costs. This year, alone, The Bike Project has donated 1,553 refurbished bikes to refugees in towns across the UK; from Middlesbrough to Coventry to Birmingham and London.
We supported The Bike Project in 2019 and are thrilled to support them again this year, as this 2022’s Giving Black Friday charity, with 5% of our profits from the weekend.
Who does The Bike Project help?
Over the last nine years, The Bike Project has supported those seeking asylum and refugees from 74 countries. The majority of those that they have helped coming from Syria, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan or Afghanistan.
Alongside bike donations, the charity also runs several other projects; Bike Buddies which pairs refugees with a cyclist in their area, Pedal Power which gives women the opportunity to learn how to ride in women-only classes and Cyber Cycling which provides a space for volunteers and recipients to learn and interact online.
Most any cyclist will be able to tell you about the positive impact that cycling has on their mental and physical health and that is no different for refugees. An amazing 92% of the bike recipients surveyed by The Bike Project reported an improvement to their mental and physical health and 84% reported an increased feeling of belonging in their community as a result of having a bicycle.
What will our money go towards?
The Bike Project relies entirely on donations to fund its fantastic work.
As an example:
£10 delivers a bike to a refugee
£50 provides a bike for a young refugee
£100 provides a bike for an adult refugee
Already have a Velo 2?
There are loads of different ways to support The Bike Project! If you have a bike that you don't ride anymore, you could donate it to The Bike Project and start it on its way to finding a very happy new home. If you are looking to buy a bike, you could check out what The Bike Project have for sale and get yourself a new set of wheels while supporting the charity's work.
If you have spare time to offer, you could also get involved with The Bike Project and its Bike Buddies or Cyber Cycling schemes as a volunteer. The opportunities are vast!
