Call for shops to encourage unwanted bike donations
Posted on in Business News , Cycles News
Recycle Your Cycle is a social enterprise that refurbishes bicycles, which are then sold through various charity retail outlets enabling them to raise additional funds for their causes.
Recently, Recycle Your Cycle has partnered with Hospice UK to launch an innovative new scheme to help Hospice UK members make money from old bikes which would have otherwise ended up in the tip. Hospices throughout the UK are now benefiting from increased revenues through selling refurbished bicycles within their retail outlets.
The bikes are refurbished in workshops within HMP Prisons in Hertfordshire, London, Cardiff, Midlands and Liverpool, which also allows prisoners to develop useful technical skills, aid their rehabilitation and improve their job prospects on release.
Tim Stewart, head of retail at ellenor said: "I had always been uncomfortable with offering donated bikes for sale as the majority of our staff and volunteers don't have the skills required to ensure they were properly roadworthy, so in the main, what few bikes we had donated ended up going to our local scrap man for next to no money.
"That's all changed now! The bikes that recycle your cycle supply are fully refurbished, and safe to use, and I can now sell them with confidence. Each bike comes with a report to show that it has been tested, and a suggested selling price. I have managed to get over £250 for some of the bikes they have supplied!
"Not only have they provided me with fully serviced and refurbished bikes at a very reasonable rate, but they are also providing an additional opportunity for developing new skills in the prison service.
"Now that people see we are selling these bikes, we get many more donated, which I just ship to recycle your cycle for refurbishment. They collect them when they deliver my new stock. I also told all our staff and volunteers what we were doing, and that generated a number of bikes for refurbishment.
"This has been a great exercise for us, and the sales of the bikes have certainly gone some way to counter the continued fall in rag income."
Bike shops are being asked to contribute to the scheme by encouraging customers to donate unwanted bikes to help local charities. Whether through trade-in deals or just asking for donations, helping the cause is simple with no cost. Simply take in the bikes and Recycle Your Cycle will collect them.
Bike shops across the country are already getting involved. Some of the key partners of the scheme include Brixton Cycles, Cycle Surgery, Harpenden Cycles, Herne Hill Cycles and Moore's Cycles.
Mark Abrahams, founder of Recycle Your Cycle, commented: "We want to become the UK's largest bicycle refurbisher. There are a number of similar organisations to ours which have been set up to export bikes, but ours is unique in wanting to help UK charities to raise money in an ethical, green way."
Contact Recycle Your Cycle today to find out more about collecting donations and helping local charities. Call 0845 456 2338 or email info@recycleyourcycle.org.uk