Bike workshop can step up a gear thanks to grant
A social enterprise operated by the Julian House charity to offer training and work experience opportunities to its homeless clients and other vulnerable individuals has received a £27,000 boost.
The Bath Bike Workshop was awarded cash from the Community Infrastructure Levy – a planning charge designed to help councils to deliver infrastructure such as schools, transport links, open spaces and recreational or waste facilities to serve the residents and users of new developments in their area.
The £27,941 grant will fund a fulltime cycle mechanic at the busy Corn Street workshop – the first social enterprise to be opened by the charity, in 2010.
Before this, refurbishing secondhand bikes was just one of the many activities held as part of the charity’s meaningful occupation programme. That experience was the springboard for turning it into a proper business – refurbishing second-hand bikes, servicing and even offering quality second-hand parts. Since then new bikes are part of the sales mix and, more recently, bike rentals.
The difference between this business and conventional bike workshops is the inclusion of work experience and training for marginalised and vulnerable individuals.
Mark Sayer is the area manager for the business, overseeing this and the other three Julian House workshops that have opened across the South West. He said: “Bath was our original workshop and is still our biggest.
“The quality of the bikes we sell is terrific – everything from road bikes through to kiddies’ trainers and even tandems. People are surprised by the amount of work that is required to put a second-hand bike back on the road in tip-top condition. All our machines are quality checked by trained staff.
“This grant from the Community Infrastructure Levy will ensure that we keep up with demand and, more importantly, ensure that we can support our social outcomes objectives – helping clients with their confidence and self-esteem, improving their skills and helping them back to work.”
He said that during the lockdown the business closed for seven weeks because of the challenges of social distancing for customers and staff. Modifications have now been made and since it reopened early last month trade has been brisk as people have more free time and are keen to stay healthy.
Mr Sayer said: “If anyone has got a bike at the back of their shed which would benefit from TLC and our mechanics’ skills, we’d love to have it. Sadly very rusty or badly damaged machines cannot be economically repaired. Good secondhand machines are our bread and butter and donors can feel proud that their donation will help to rebuild someone’s life.”
Councillor Dine Romero, leader of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “Supporting the Bath Bike Workshop social enterprise will help residents access affordable bikes and bike maintenance, which is especially important to encourage more people to move to alternative forms of commuting such as cycling as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic. I’m pleased that this grant will help people to travel sustainably across the city.”
Councillor Joanna Wright, joint cabinet member for transport services said: “Having local mechanics in place to fix bikes is a huge advantage when so many are keen to use bikes as a way of getting around the city. So often people give up on riding a bike because they are slightly damaged or need a small modification, having a local facility at hand to fix bikes will allow so many to get back on a bike, which improves their health and the planet’s.”
To find out more about the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), visit https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/ section-106-planning-obligationsand-community-infrastructurelevy-cil