From Stockport Council:

Residents are being asked to donate unwanted bikes to support an innovative Safer
Stockport Partnership run project helping young people payback their debt to society.

The ‘Cycloan’ project led by Stockport Council’s Youth Offending Service gives young offenders the opportunity to repair stolen and recovered bikes donated by the police to carry out their community reparation (payback).

Once all the repairs have been made to the bikes and they have been verified as road worthy, they are donated back to the community – to victims of cycle theft, residents in need of a bicycle or community organisations. They are also supplied with a bike lock and property marking kit.

Funding from Stockport Action for Voluntary Youth (SAVY) has recently been used to repair five bikes as part of the ‘Cycloan’ project. These bikes have been given to the Wellspring Centre’s newly established Men’s Group.

Plans to expand the project to donate repaired bikes to young people in care are on hold thanks to a welcome 39% reduction in cycle theft in Stockport over the last year.

Councillor Mark Weldon, Executive Member for Communities, said: “This has been a very successful project giving young people the opportunity to pay back their debt to society through a positive project benefiting the whole community.

“To ensure the successful continuation of this project and to help the supply of cycles to children and young people in the care system the Council is calling on members of the public to donate unwanted cycles.”

Vicky Herd, SAVY Youth Action Officer, said: “SAVY have worked in partnership with the Council’s Youth Offending Service to promote and support young people to become active citizens through positive activities. In doing this they have funded the maintenance of 5 bicycles to be donated to the Wellspring. These will be used by the Men’s Group on local bike rides which will help them maintain a healthier lifestyle.”

For more information on how to donate a cycle to the ‘Cycloan’ project, contact the Council’s Youth Offending Service on 161 476 2876 or email stock.yot@stockport.gov.uk

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