Cotswold travel company Abercrombie & Kent is teaming up with charity Wheels of Change, to support a life-changing community based bike project in Zambia.
On the April 11, A&K are bringing a shipping container to Cheltenham and are hoping, with the generosity of locals, to fill it with 400 bikes before shipping it to Zambia. On arrival in the village of Nakatindi the container will be converted into a bike shop and repair facility, with local members of the community being trained in bicycle maintenance, business management and bookkeeping.
Whilst for most of us in the UK, cycling is a leisure activity, in Zambia bikes can transform lives. A bike enables a healthcare worker to visit 4 times the number of patients in a day; it helps a mother to transport water from the well, and get produce to market. With many students currently walking over 10km each way to get to school, bikes will not only enable them to spend more time on their studies, but also allow them to arrive with more energy for their school work.
Cheltenham College have kindly offered to house the container by their Sports Centre for the duration of the “bike collection” scheme. A&K will be opening the container every Saturday and Sunday for four consecutive weekends, so that people can drop-off their unwanted bikes. In order to fix and maintain the donated bikes once in Zambia we would also be grateful for any relevant tools that could be donated, including saws, screwdrivers, collapsible benches, and folding chairs etc.
Drop-off dates as follows:
• Saturday 11th April (9.00am – 5.00pm)
• Sunday 12th April (10.00am – 4.00pm)
• Saturday 18th April (9.00am – 5.00pm)
• Sunday 19th April (10.00am – 4.00pm)
• Saturday 25th April (9.00am – 5.00pm)
• Sunday 26th April (10.00am – 4.00pm)
• Saturday 2nd May (9.00am – 5.00pm)
• Sunday 3rd May (10.00am – 4.00pm)
Drop-off location: Cheltenham College Sports Centre, Thirlestaine Road, opposite College Lawn, GL53 7AD
Weekday drop-off: For those who have unwanted bikes but are unable to drop off at weekends, Leisure Lakes Bikes in Cheltenham have kindly offered their central Cheltenham shop as a drop-off point mid-week. (Please contact prior to drop off - 01242 251505)
Do bear in mind that the bikes do not have to be in tip-top condition, but they do need to be repairable, and owing to the terrain in Zambia they need to be mountain, trail or road bikes (no racing bikes).
Help us empower a community through sustainable enterprise – if you’ve got old unused bikes in the garage or shed, please get them down to Cheltenham College or Leisure Lakes Bikes.
