We all know exercise is good for us – both physically and mentally – and riding a bike helps asylum seekers get around in a cost-effective way.
An asylum seeker is entitled to £5 a day (and is not allowed, by law, to take paid work to supplement this). This sum must cover food, clothing, and the rest of everyday living costs, so there’s very little available for bus fares!
We have a scheme where bicycles are provided to solve this very problem; old bikes are refurbished and lent to asylum seekers for as long as they are needed. How fabulous is that.
The Bike Project
The City of Sanctuary Bike Project has been channelling donated bikes to asylum seekers and refugees in Lancaster for the last eight years. It has made the bikes roadworthy before allocating them, when needed, and undertaken repairs as they are used. Since it started, the Project has issued over 300 bikes to asylum seekers and refugees in Lancaster.
Volunteer bike mechanics
This City of Sanctuary project takes donated bikes and makes them safe to use. We then loan the bikes to asylum seekers and refugees, and fix those bikes when they develop a problem. Volunteers meet most Wednesday afternoons for two hours at our workshop off Willow Lane. There’s no expectation to come every week – volunteers just come when they are able.
“Turning a cobweb-covered bike into a useful machine can be very
satisfying! Particularly knowing that the bikes allow people with very little
money to move about the district: the bikes help them get to English classes
and college, to get to the beach and into the countryside, to get exercise and
to get to work”
Donate Your Unused Bikes – Support Refugees in Lancaster!
The City of Sanctuary Bike Project is making a real difference by providing refurbished bikes to asylum seekers and refugees in Lancaster, helping them get around safely and independently. We’re currently in need of old or unused bikes—just gathering dust? Donate it! We also welcome volunteers with basic repair skills (or a willingness to learn) to help fix up donated bikes. Get involved, support your community, and help make Lancaster a more welcoming place for all. Please contact Mark on 07385168254
If you have an idea that can help solve the everyday challenges of asylum seekers and make a difference to their everyday lives, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.