Bike project summer sessions

Cycle safety sessions have been held at the Viking Centre in Barton.

The Ongo Bike Project has been working with residents living in the Caistor Road area of Barton to fix the bikes of children living there to make them safe and road worthy.

On Friday 4 August, the team were based at the Viking Centre on Fairfield Drive and invited children to bring their bikes to be tested to make sure they’re safe and road worthy. The team then fixed any broken bikes, mending brakes, adding brake cables and repairing punctures.

The Bike Project offers skills and experience to volunteers, along with the chance to work with a small team to help build bikes up and make them road worthy. The project has been running since 2014 and has supported 150 volunteers so far.

John Cavill, Learning & Growing Project Manager, said: “The Bike Project is a great way for our volunteers to learn new skills that will hopefully help them get back into work. It’s also brilliant to be able to come out to Barton and offer assistance to the young people living in the area to make sure their bikes are safe to use.”

Andrew Taylor, a volunteer on the Bike Project, said: “I volunteer every week and I’ve learnt a lot, plus I feel more confident and will be more prepared when I get back into work. I’ve been mixing with lots of different people which has been really good for me. Hopefully the experience I’m getting here will help me to get a job.”

Are you interested in volunteering with the Bike Project? Get in touch with the Employment Support Team today to register your interest. Call 01724 844848 or email employmentsupport@ongo.co.uk

The project is always on the lookout for donations of bikes, if you have one you no longer use or isn’t road worthy please get in touch with John Cavill on 01724 844848.