charity bike

This is Anniemay’s mountain bike.  It’s a lovely bike - comfortable and well-maintained.  But it’s been a long time since it’s been anywhere near a mountain.  She’s ridden it in various parts of France and Spain as well as forest trails and bridle paths nearer to home.  But now it’s become surplus to requirements.  What to do with it?

It’s around 10 years old and so not worth much on the secondhand market - not when a brand new supermarket bike can be had for about £70.  But I wouldn’t expect a supermarket bike to last anything like as long.

A few years ago, when I stopped riding my mountain bike, I had the same dilemma.  Mine too was old, but still had plenty of miles left in it, so we took it to a charity based in Colchester which collects bikes for use in Africa.  They send them by the container load - about 500 bikes at a time - and I got a real buzz out of thinking that some young lad somewhere in Africa might be riding my old Kona fire mountain to school.

Today we went closer to home.  There’s a charity near Stratford-upon-Avon called Cyclists Fighting Cancer and it means a lot to us.  They tend to provide bikes for children who are dealing with cancer - sometimes they’re so poorly that they can’t walk very far, but they can sit on a bike - and because exercise is key to recovery, a bike allows these kids a bit of freedom and fun that they might not otherwise get.  

But - and this is the really great bit - CFC recognises that kids can’t always go out on a bike by themselves, so sometimes they’re able to provide an additional bike for another family member.  And that’s where Anniemay’s bike comes in.  So with any luck a mum or big sister can go out for a bike ride as well.

Extra; on the way back we called in at Upton House (see Anniemay for details).  I was rather taken by an ancient diving board in an ancient swimming pool.