Community groups get cash grants to promote cycling

Travel Cheshire has awarded cash grants to two community groups in Crewe to encourage local people to get cycling.

Christian Concern and Community Recycle Cycles will equally share almost £20,000, which will also offer both charities the opportunity to increase skills and training in the town.

Christian Concern collects unwanted bikes and furniture from households across the town, which it refurbishes and sells to raise funds to help the homeless and others facing hardship or difficulties. It also provides low cost bike maintenance for Crewe residents, delivered by a trained mechanic and a team of volunteers.

The funding provided by Travel Cheshire will help trainees to undertake a cycle maintenance programme, while students from local after school clubs will be given the chance to learn the basics of bike repair on a series of courses.

Community Recycle Cycles is a community interest company with a volunteer-run, not-for-profit bike shop, on Coronation Crescent in Crewe. It offers low-cost bikes and repairs to the local community and training and employment opportunities in cycle repair and maintenance for local young people and volunteers.

It will use the funding to run free ‘Dr Bike’ check-ups to ensure cyclists’ bikes are safe and roadworthy, and to employ a second cycle mechanic and volunteers to help run the sessions.

Councillor David Brown, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “Reducing congestion on our roads, helping people get fit and active and improving the environment are top priorities for the council.

With the excellent Travel Cheshire project we’re delivering on all three. We’re keen to promote cycling in all its forms in Cheshire East – whether people want to ride to the shops or work, ride purely for fun or competitively.

“By supporting these two local community-based organisations in Crewe we hope to encourage more people to discover the joys of cycling.”