New bikes and tools for Riverside Youth Project, Bristol 26/08/2010
Posted by Lizzie Evered in Bristol.trackback
Riverside Youth Project in Easton, Bristol have been out and about on their bikes thanks to a grant from Bike Club. The funding has enabled them to buy a fleet of bikes, and also refit an area of their club as a workshop so the young people their can practise their bike maintenance.
Riverside Youth Project new bikes and workshop
So far they have run a successful series of sessions with young people on day release from HMP Ashfield, the Young Offenders Unit where young people between 15 and 18 who have been remanded and sentenced. The have taken mountain biking trips to Ashton Court Estate and Leigh Woods.
In September, two leaders plan to attend a bike maintenance training, so as they can deliver bike maintenance sessions with the new equipment, and also maintain their new bikes. The group has good links with the local Police Community Support Officers, who have been donating old bikes for refurbishment.
Once you get a bit of bike fixing under your belts how about working with those who need to get their bikes adapted to work with non-standard bodies (bits malfunctioning or missing etc).
The other detail is to consider how the road user skills gained and assessed through Bike Club activity can marry with the call for bus drivers (and workshop staff) from major bus operators. I may have some contacts to prod here but local connections are often better to get things rolling on a small scale to sort out any bugs.