Partnership Working

Here at Community Recycle Cycles we strongly believe that if we work as a partnership, we can achieve greater success. So we are delighted that other local voluntary and statutory organisations are keen to work with us.

Dr Bike is a regular session that we provide for our partners. Last month in February, we provided sessions for Hope Church, the YMCA on Gresty Road and Sherborne Estate and Nantwich leisure centre. Despite some fierce weather conditions, our mechanics managed to provide 10 ‘health checks’ for bikes, meaning 10 people were able to ride their bikes in the knowledge that they are safe and roadworthy.

In 2021, we carried out 12 Dr Bike sessions at various venues and during lockdown in 2020 we helped 99 key workers use their bikes for work or leisure. These sessions were held thanks to funding from Cycling UK, as we took part in the Big Bike Revival.

For certain key partner agencies we can provide a complete bike package; bike, lights, lock and helmet. This year we are building on this with 2 projects arranged by Cheshire East.

The first project is to encourage active travel for people starting work or a full time college course. Lack of transport can be a real barrier for people, with shift work and venues often meaning public transport is not available. Starting with a pilot group we have already supplied 3 bike packages to people working with Parents First, a group supporting parents of young children get back into employment.

We are working in partnership with Everybody Sport and Leisure who will be running training sessions in cycle confidence for adults and for those who wish to take it up, we will also be providing a bespoke maintenance course, teaching them how to look after their bike and carry out basic repairs. The aim is to support 150 people access employment or training during 2022 and all these services are being provided free of charge to the participant.

The second piece of work is focussing on Social Prescribing, a service designed to help people with long term, lower level physical and mental health conditions. Physical activity has well documented benefits for both conditions and by supporting people to take up walking or cycling, on their own or in groups, it is envisaged that people will be able to improve their own health outcomes with less reliance on medication.

If you or your organisation would like to know more about the work we do, maybe you would like us to come and run a Dr Bike at your place of work or arrange a maintenance course for a group of work colleagues.

Please feel free to get in touch.