Staff from Bibby Distribution’s facility in Runcorn came to the aid of Rotary Clubs across North Wales, The Wirral, Cheshire and parts of Merseyside, by offering to transport more than 400 unwanted bicycles free of charge on the first stage of a journey to a new home in Africa.
The Rotary Clubs had been collecting the bicycles for a year to support Bikes4Africa, the flagship project for UK-based charity Jole Rider (pronounced Jolly Rider), which aims to improve the educational prospects of young people in The Gambia, West Africa.
On hearing about the project Bibby Distribution teamed up with one of its key customers, Saint-Gobain Isover, to help. Bibby sent one of its drivers, Paul Brown, from Redwood Close in Northwich, to collect the bikes from five different locations in one of the fleet’s 44 tonne articulated trucks, emblazoned in the customer’s livery.
Paul, who normally spends his day transporting insulation products nationwide for Saint Gobain Isover, says: “We started off at a warehouse in Llanfairfechan where the first 175 bikes were loaded. From there, we made additional stops in Ruthin, Flint, Saughull and finally Oswestry, where the last 50 bikes were squeezed in.
“I’ve never seen so many bikes; the trailer was fully loaded after the final stop. It was an amazing effort by the Rotary Clubs to collect so many, and great to play a part in a project which is going to benefit hundreds of children growing up in The Gambia.”
After being unloaded by Bibby Distribution into the charity’s central store in Wiltshire, a team from Bikes4Africa began sorting each bike for size and condition. Those requiring service work are subsequently being taken to a number of HM Prisons, where refurbishment work is carried out by prisoners.
On return to Wiltshire, they are loaded into a container to begin a six week journey by road and sea to Africa, where they will be used by children aged 10 years and up.
A spokesman for the Rotary Club explains: “We are indebted to Bibby Distribution and Saint-Gobain Isover for their most generous offer of help to transport the bikes to Wiltshire.
“Particular praise goes to Paul, who, not only expertly manoeuvred his vehicle into some challenging collection points, but who also showed a remarkable skill at stacking the bikes to ensure that every single one we had collected fitted in!”
The Bikes4Africa Project has been running for approximately six years and aims to change lives through education. Many African children live in remote communities, a long way from their nearest school. Without reliable, affordable transport the only way these children can get to school is to walk. In scorching heat, the journey to school on foot is an epic daily mission. Having a bicycle makes a world of difference for the children, their families and communities.
For more information visit www.jolerider.org/programmes/bikes4africa
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