Wheel done: Angus Cycle Hub’s delight over £65,000 grant.

funding: Angus Environmental Trust backing is hailed as major step forward for project

Angus Cycle Hub has landed another five-figure grant windfall which will see it build on a recycling project which saved five tonnes of bikes from the skip last year.

In the latest boost for the thriving social enterprise, Angus Environmental Trust has awarded the group £65,000. The cash was secured through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund, which the organisation administers in Angus.

The funding has helped secure two full-time local jobs for the next year, acquisition of an electric van for the project, and tooling costs to help increase the number of bikes it can recycle in the drive to reduce carbon emissions in Angus.

Angus Cycle Hub also recently received £20,000 to help roll out a Bikeability training programme across the area.

Project director Scott Francis said the trust backing was another big step forward.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this investment from Angus Environmental Trust,” he said.

“The Angus region dumps between 300 and 1,000 bikes per quarter at recycling centres.

“Until recently these went to landfill or were scrapped, and were being recycled outside of the region and not benefiting local people or economy.

“At the moment we are only recycling around 45% of the stuff that comes in. The funding from Angus Environmental Trust helps us raise that capacity.

“In 2016 the project helped recycle 5,300kg worth of bikes back into the Angus community and its cycling and recycling initiatives helped save over 17,000kg of CO2e while encouraging local people to try cycling as a mean to better health and wellbeing.”

AET director Dr Marshall Halliday said the cycle hub was the perfect fit for the trust’s objectives.

“This is an ideal project and it capitalises on the big increase in cycling across the UK,” he said.

“This scheme is providing a great service to the community, it’s encouraging more and more people to get into cycling and is preventing unused bikes going to landfill so it really is a win-win for everyone.”

Angus Cycle Hub recently received a silver Cycle Friendly Communities award from Cycling Scotland, a first for the area.

This is an ideal project and it capitalises on the big increase in cycling across the UK.

DR MARSHALL HALLIDAY

A new Nissan NV200E electric van will be used by Angus Cycle Hub to pick up bikes from Angus Recycling Centres and deliver cycles to new owners. Environmental trust board member Dr Marshall Halliday handed over the keys to Rachel Hurst of Angus Cycle...