Press release -
Abandoned station bikes transform lives for adults with learning difficulties
Bikes abandoned at railway stations across the Thameslink and Great Northern network are being used to transform the lives of people with learning difficulties.
Dozens of bikes, left at 81 stations across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Norfolk, were delivered to TAG Bikes in Huntingdon on Wednesday (March 11) where a keen team of adults with learning difficulties will service and repair the bikes before selling them back to the community at an affordable price.
All the money earned is reinvested in the project, run by Cambridgeshire County Council as part of its Supporting into Work programme.
Rob Whitehead, Great Northern and Thameslink’s Community Engagement Manager, said: “More people than ever are choosing sustainable modes of transport, like cycling, to reach our stations and we’ve been improving and adding new facilities to meet this demand.
“Railway stations are a key part of local life. The work we support in partnership with the communities we serve, helps build sustainable and prosperous places for us all. Our partnership with TAG is one of many which help contribute to the ‘circular economy’ of recycling and improving mobility within the area. It is surprising that some people do abandon their bikes at our stations, but I am very pleased we’re able to help put them back into good use.”
Great Northern and Thameslink run a range of schemes to support communities along its network, from recycling uniforms into mattress filling and sound buffering for cars, to using funds raised from selling unclaimed electronics to raise money for good causes.
Left bikes are collected from stations by the train operators’ facilities team, who store them in a depot near Letchworth for three months where they can be claimed by owners, before being driven to the workshop based out of the Huntingdon Community Centre.
The workshop is run under the supervision of employment skills coordinator and qualified bike mechanic Rob Bierton who helps the adults acquire new skills and build their independence in a work based environment.
Since the partnership between the train operators and TAG began in 2018, the project has taken delivery of more than 1,000 bikes, with funds raised from selling the bicycles spent supporting the project with additional parts, tools, workstands and digital equipment to help the learners’ development and enable the project to grow.
Rob Bierton, TAG’s Employment Skills Coordinator for Cambridgeshire County Council said: “The atmosphere in the workshop when we receive donations is wonderful and it’s easy to see how transformative TAG is for the adults we work with. It is only through the support of donors like Great Northern and Thameslink that we can do what we do. This partnership with GTR started many years ago and we are so grateful that they have continued to support us at TAG Bikes.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved in Huntingdon and it is extremely rewarding to see both the confidence and skills improve in the young adults we work with, but also knowing that each bike which leaves our workshop will be put to good use in the community.”
Adults supported by TAG have found greater independence, such as building the skills and confidence to live alone, or securing paid work in the areas they’ve trained for. One adult who previously received support from TAG is now employed as a bike mechanic at Halfords.
TAG Bikes is one of several work-based schemes part of the council’s Supporting into Work Programme, which also includes Blossom and Bloom café in Huntingdon Community Centre, Hot Pots Coffee Shop in March and the Ely Community Café.
Cllr Luis Navarro, Vice-Chair of the Adults and Health committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “TAG Bikes is just one of the projects we run as part of our Supporting into Work programme, which aims to help those taking part to develop a wide range of employability and life skills whilst improving their confidence and independence.
“The bike donations we receive are vital to the success of TAG Bikes and helping the development of our learners. I’d like to thank GTR for its generous support which helps this fantastic community initiative.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Twenty four (and a half!) bikes were delivered on the back of a flatbed truck to TAG in Huntingdon on Wednesday morning 11 March. A delivery of a further 25 bikes will be made next week (week commencing March 16).
Thameslink and Great Northern stores bikes that passengers have abandoned at a distribution centre in Letchworth. All the bikes donated have been kept for a minimum of three months in the hope that they can be reunited with their owner.
The donations from Thameslink and Great Northern, along with the companies’ wider work to promote the circular economy, feed into an industry-wide 'blueprint' for Sustainable Rail formulated by the Railway Safety and Standards Board.
For further information contact the Thameslink and Great Northern press office on 020 3750 2031 or the Cambridgeshire County Council press office on 01223 699 281.
Related links
Topics
Categories
For more information, contact the press office on 0203 750 2031.
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com
