News articles for Derwent Living

Derwent Living says get on your bike

DERWENT Living is encouraging local residents to give their bikes a health check when it helps launch a bicycle road show on Derby market place next week.

The Derby-based housing provider, in conjunction with Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire will be taking the mobile workshop to Derby market place between 10am and 3pm on Monday 26 July, where it will be offering free cycle health checks for members of the public.

The team will also be giving advice on the best cycle choice for individuals, how to set-up a bike correctly and advice on basic repairs. People will also be able to get information about cycling in and around Derby, courtesy of Derby City Council initiative Cycle Derby. The launch of the mobile bicycle workshop is part of a large project by Derwent Living, which is being run in conjunction with Groundwork Derby and Derbyshire, to recycle old bicycles. The scheme’s eventual aim is to mend and sell the renovated cycles to members of the public through the workshop. This would ensure that the workshop and its operation is entirely self sustaining.

The project has two main aims - to divert waste from landfill by recycling and reusing bicycles and to provide training, work placements, physical activities and volunteering opportunities for Derwent Living customers and the wider community. The project also aims to teach children the importance of problem solving and working together as part of a team.

Christine Smith, community regeneration officer at Derwent Living said: “The launch of the mobile workshop is a really significant part of the bike recycling project and we are excited to finally present it to members of the public. This initial outing will mainly be to give the public advice on their own bikes and maintenance and also to give them more information about the project as a whole.

“Eventually, people will be able to purchase repaired bikes at the road shows, which is when the project becomes self sufficient. It really is about making a big impact and the touring workshop is a great way to do this.”

Funding for the project is also coming from Cycle Derby - a three year project within Derby with a vision to get more people cycling, more safely, more often. The venture aims to be self sufficient after the first year and will work as a social enterprise, feeding the money it makes back into the project.

For more information on the ‘Bike Force – Recycle that Cycle’ initiative or for further details about the workshop, please contact Derwent Living’s community development team on 01332 614 873.

News story downloads

---

Full story - download pdf | download word doc

Get Adobe Acrobat reader to view your pdf documents.