Doctor Bike is back in town this summer

Recycle for Greater Manchester is encouraging residents to get back on their bike again with a little help from Doctor Bike.

Doctor Bike has rolled up his sleeves this summer to fix bicycles and encourage residents to get back on them again.  From pumping up tyres, to replacing brake pads and cables, he has been fixing minor repairs that were preventing people from using their bike.

The events began during Bike Week in June and are set to continue until the end of September 2013.  So far, the Doctor Bike and donation events have helped to spread the bike re-use message to over 1,000 people and Cytech mechanics have fixed 60 bikes for free and 30 bikes have been donated.

The next session in Bury is on Sunday 11 August at the Fun in the Park event in Rochdale Road, from noon to 4pm.  

Recycle for Greater Manchester has partnered with several community bike re-use organisations to deliver the events. The bikes donated to the re-use organisations are repaired and refurbished for a number of projects, including, youth schemes, proficiency training, art projects, as well as providing people with training skills for future employment.

Ed McGovern a Cytech mechanic for Wesley Group Bikes ran the a Doctor Bike session at the Enterprise Centre said: “This was  a great session and one of the attendees even said this was one of the best afternoons they had have spent in  along tome. We fixed his bike and his daughter’s bike and they were looking forward to a bike ride in this sunny weather. I really would encourage others to either get their bike fixed or donate one they no longer want, also if they are after a bike for a low price then have a look at buying a re-used bike.”

It’s not too late to get involved; there are 12 events happening between now and the end of September. You can bring along any push bike to be fixed for free, or if you no longer want a bike, then you can donate it.

Doctor Bike will also be heading into schools across Greater Manchester in September to deliver Doctor Bike and donate sessions.

To find out where and when your nearest bike event is, then please visit our website www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com/bikes. You can also find out where your nearest community bike re-use organisation is that accept unwanted bikes, some organisations will even collect bikes from your house.

ENDS

Issued: 6 August 2013.

Notes to Editors

Recycle for Greater Manchester has partnered with a number of re-use organisations across Greater Manchester including the Nationwide Cycling Academy, The Wesley Bike project, and Waste Creative.

Recycle for Greater Manchester is a partnership between Viridor Laing (Greater Manchester) Limited (VLGM) and the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA), encouraging all residents of Greater Manchester to reduce, re-use and recycle more and help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.

The Greater Manchester zero waste initiative will save around 400,000 tonne of CO₂ per year.

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (GMWDA) provides recycling and waste disposal services for 1,009,815 households in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. It handles around 5% of national municipal waste.

VLGM is a joint venture company owned by Viridor, a subsidiary of Pennon Group PLC, and John Laing PLC, who have come together to deliver a 25 year Recycling and Waste Management Contract.

VLGM provides facilities and services to manage householders waste in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner. This involves the reception, treatment and disposal of waste to increase levels of recycling, composting and recovery and reduce waste sent to landfill.