Back on t rack

Cycling initiative helps people find direction

Feature by Sarah Olowofoyeku

ON your bike! That’s the message of Bike Week, which began on Monday (5 June). The awareness week, organised by charity Cycling UK, is this year focusing on workplace cycling and has been encouraging people to ride to work or take part in events at their place of work.

Cycling UK wants to see a country where cycling is a popular mode of transport that is safe for everyone of all backgrounds and abilities, believing that it will help make the world a better place. For more than 140 years, through its campaigns and initiatives, the organisation has inspired people to discover the joys of cycling.

Another charity harnessing the power of cycling in its work to improve people’s lives is The Salvation Army. In Swindon, for example, it runs a social enterprise called Recycles, which helps to get cyclists back on the road by repairing, restoring, refurbishing and rebuilding bikes.

We work with everyone

But its main aim is to bring people who are experiencing homelessness into a working environment, so they can get their lives on the right track.

Simon Styles says that his focus has changed since he became manager of the shop 11 years ago. ‘I was employed because of my previous experience in the bike trade, but that is not the important thing now. It’s the people that I work with. At times it’s a challenge, but the best aspect of my job is seeing people come through the project, flourish, develop as individuals and move on.

‘The Salvation Army is about social outcomes and we work with everyone.’

The organisation is motivated by its mission to love God and other people. It aims not to discriminate, but to ensure that people who are marginalised can experience that love and a helping hand.

Simon says that at Recycles the bike is just the vessel. The project is ‘all about giving people an opportunity to move in a different direction’.