Bicycles Donated to Local Community

Hibernian Community Foundation, in partnership with Bikes for Refugees Scotland, have donated bikes to children situated within our local community!

An incredibly generous donation of £1875 was made to Hibernian Community Foundation, by Keith Sands, Allan Preston, and Robert Bell.

The three donors host an annual charity event each year at Leith Dockers Club, in order to raise funds to support disadvantaged children in Edinburgh. Through their hard work, and with support from Bikes for Refugees Scotland, 12 children based in North Edinburgh have received new Ridgeback bicycles, lights, locks and helmets. An equal donation was also made to Big Hearts, which allowed Bikes for Refugees Scotland to provide bicycles to children based in the West of Edinburgh.

These funds were then forwarded to Bikes for Refugees Scotland, who were best placed to provide the bikes, equipment, and network of support needed to reach out to New Scot families based in our community.

The organisation aims to support the resettlement of isolated and socio-economically disadvantaged New Scots through the upcycling and provision of free bicycles and the transformational power of cycling.

Upon receiving bikes, one New Scot commented:

“Thank you for the bikes. The children are very happy with these bikes and so are we. They helped me a lot in moving around the city and were much faster than the bus. Thank you again.”

Bicycles provide a free and sustainable means of transportation to support access to essential services as well as an important way to meet new people, and to keep physically and mentally healthy.

Mike Kemp, of Bikes for Refugees, added:

“Access to a bike means low cost transport for someone with limited funds, a way to make new friends in a strange city, the ability to explore a city that’s unfamiliar, and a mental health boost for someone surviving trauma.

“To date, Bikes for Refugees have given close to 3000 individuals the joy of cycling, and delivering these bikes in conjunction with Hibernian Community Foundation and Big Hearts Community Trust broadens the welcome to New Scots in Edinburgh.”

To find out more about Bikes for Refugees please CLICK HERE!