Over 1,300 residents across Hull have taken part in the community cycle hubs so far.
Local cycling charity R-evolution teamed up with Hull City Council to provide five new cycle hubs with regular weekly drop-in sessions across the city.
Since April this year the hubs have delivered over 500 bike repairs, loaned 97 bikes for the short term and 25 for a longer term, whilst training four volunteers, with an additional three trainees currently in progress.
The Peel Street community hub has proved extremely popular, having repaired nearly 200 bikes in just a few months.
Jamal Choudhury, Operations Manager of The Peel Project said: “It has been an eye opener seeing the poor condition of bikes that many children and adults were riding around on. We have worked hard to promote the service to local residents and what has been most pleasing is seeing the smiles and appreciation on children’s and adults faces following their cycle being fixed and of those young people who have accessed the cycle bank to borrow a cycle.
“Initiatives like the free cycle repair clinic and community cycle library have been of extreme benefit for many hard up families, having seen the demand for this service it is important that local authorities continue to support families by projects like these during the cost of living crisis that we are seeing for many of our service users.”
The hubs offer a number of free services including safety checks, bicycle repairs, demonstrations on how to fix minor repairs, confidence-building sessions for those lacking cycling experience, community guided rides and “Build a Bike” workshop sessions for young people as part of a six-week course.
The five community hubs are set up at the –
- Tigers Trust, Tigers Trust Arena, West Park, Walton Street, HU3 6GA – Mondays 10am to 3pm
- The Peel Project, Peel Street Park, Peel Street, HU3 1QS – Tuesdays 11.30am to 1.30pm and Wednesdays 4pm to 7pm
- Goodwin Development Trust, Thornton Village Hall, Walker Street, HU3 2EZ – Wednesdays 10am to 3pm
- Child Dynamix The Hut, Preston Road, HU9 5UY – Thursdays 10.30am to 4.30pm
Councillor Mark Ieronimo, Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Roads, Highways, said: “We are delighted with the success of the community cycle hubs so far. They’ve been a valuable addition to our local communities, enabling residents to have access to services to improve their cycling skills, including how to fix minor repairs and giving those who don’t have access to bikes the opportunity to loan them for a fixed period of time.”
John Marshall, CEO of R-evolution said: “I am pleased that the cycle hubs have encouraged hundreds of local people to get on their bikes.
“Local charities have helped to set up the project to ensure that we are impacting at the heart of communities and help as many people as possible through upskilling and providing bikes and free cycle maintenance services.
“R-evolution are training local volunteers in cycle mechanics and focusing on building a sustainable project to assist in carbon reduction. We will be offering more widespread bike fixes, training, demonstrations and some social led rides throughout the summer to encourage people to actively travel, exercise and improve their wellbeing.”
For more information, contact R-evolution on 01482 844422, email info@r-evolution.org.uk, or visit the R-evolution website.
