Salford Youth Bike Project has provided more than 500 old and unwanted bikes to young people in need across the city, intending to open opportunities to get to school or college and see family.
The movement has helped many young people move freely, gain access to transportation, and get outdoors.
Cycling improves both physical and mental health, and this support is at the heart of the cause.
The initiative helps reduce the number of bikes that end up in landfill, while working with young people, teaching them how to fix the bikes and how to maintain them.
A mobile unit is also in place that travels across more disadvantaged local areas, and is now becoming recognised across Salford.
It also offers a chance for youth workers to engage and help, guiding those in need to the correct outlets within the youth service.
Dave Ecclestone, an outdoors education development worker in Salford Youth Service, said: “An example of this is that a young man’s ex-partner moved away to an apartment, and he was struggling to see his child. We gave him a bike, and he was then able to see his child.
“Some young people do get quite emotional, some people about fourteen years old have never had a bike, and we give them one for free, there’s something emotional about that.”
Salford Youth Service put out appeals through Facebook, looking for local community support. Through these appeals, over 750 shares have reached those with bikes that would be otherwise sent to the landfill to be donated to the cause.
Salford boasts a comprehensive cycling network, featuring traffic-free routes such as the Roe Green Loopline and Port Salford Greenway, ideal for both recreational rides and daily commutes. These networks work hand in hand with this initiative to also work towards a greener Salford.
With the increase in these green spaces, pedestrianised roads, and cycling networks across the UK, bikes offer a new way to travel across the city, as well as a host of opportunities for those in need, from mental health to work to seeing family.
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