Haul of abandoned bikes helps change people’s lives in Sussex

A haul of abandoned bicycles on the Southern rail network has been donated to a charity that helps people build up their confidence and learn new skills through bicycle refurbishment.

Train operator Govia Thameslink Railway has donated more than 75 abandoned bikes to Sussex Community Development Association (SCDA) to use as part of their Get Socially Active/Recycle community recycling project.

The Get Socially Active/Recycle team refurbishes the bikes with the support of volunteers and people wanting to gain work experience, who live in Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Seaford and surrounding villages.

The initiative helps those who are unemployed or not in work for a variety of reasons, such as carer responsibilities, managing a disability or long-term illness. Whether registered unemployed or not, SCDA helps people make positive changes in their lives to achieve their goals and ambitions.

Donated bikes are stripped down, cleaned and refurbished before being sold. All the money made is reinvested back into the project.

Jude Day, SCDA Employability Programme Manager, said: "This is a great opportunity for Get Socially Active participants to refurbish these unwanted and unloved bikes. We are very grateful to Govia Thameslink Railway for donating the bikes and we look forward to welcoming more volunteers into the Recycle bike workshop to join the team in giving these unwanted bikes a new lease of life.”

Southern Customer Services Director Chris Fowler said: “We’re delighted to support the communities we serve by making this donation. I’m really pleased that these otherwise unwanted bicycles will have such a positive impact on people’s lives, giving them confidence and new skills.”

Note to editors

GTR makes an effort to find the rightful owners of bikes before they are removed and taken to our distribution centre in Horsham.

A suspected abandoned bike will be tagged with a message giving notice that the bike will be removed after two weeks.

If unclaimed, the bike will be removed. It will be photographed and its details logged on a central system and details will be shared with the BTP.

After a further six weeks, the bicycle condition will be assessed and nominated charities will be advised. The maintenance team then makes a monthly delivery to the charities.

For more information about SCDA’s bicycle refurbishment and the Get Socially Active/Recycle project, visit http://sussexcommunity.org.uk/work-learning-volunteering/get-socially-active/