Central Bedfordshire Council’s Bike Recycling Scheme collects unwanted and outgrown bikes to be refurbished, made roadworthy and passed on to new homes. The refurbished bikes are available to residents on limited incomes who are in need of a bike to get to work or school and who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford one. Many of them have helped the homeless or long-term unemployed to get back into paid work or volunteering, while others have provided transport and independence for children in care and staff who work in the NHS.

Around 75 bikes of all shapes and sizes were collected during five bike recycling events across Central Bedfordshire at the start of November, and these have now gone to the workshop to be refurbished ready for rehoming. Any bikes unsuitable for refurbishment will be used for spare parts so nothing is wasted.Since the scheme started in 2017, more than 1,200 bikes have been saved from the scrapheap and given new homes.

If you have a spare bike you would like to donate, it can be dropped off at the Luton depot (Unit 42, Portland Court, Kingsway, LU4 8AU) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays between 9.30am and 3pm.