| Active Travel Commissioner Opens Barnsley Refugee Bike Project Transforming Lives and Supporting Sustainability |
| South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner and triple Olympic gold medallist, Ed Clancy OBE, joined Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, and Anna Hartley, Director of Public Health at Barnsley Council, to officially open the Barnsley Refugee Council’s new Bike Project workshop. The event celebrated the contributions of volunteer mechanics and residents with refugee backgrounds who are building their lives and supporting the community in Barnsley. The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project awarded a grant of approximately £20,000 from the National Lottery, transforms pre-loved bicycles into vital tools for affordable transport. By refurbishing and donating over 450 bikes to date, the project provides people with a means to commute to school, college, work, or enjoy the freedom of cycling. In its upgraded workshop, participants are also gaining hands-on experience in bike maintenance and repair, equipping them with valuable skills for the future. South Yorkshire’s Active Travel Commissioner, Ed Clancy OBE, said: “The Barnsley Refugee Bike Project’s brilliant work is helping hundreds of people to build new lives. “The scheme’s bikes and training are making a huge difference to those that need it the most, giving people the freedom and choice to travel and opening up more opportunities to connect with support and the community. “I’m honoured to help celebrate the new workshop with the project’s amazing volunteers. It’s another great step forward in helping even more people have the means to move about, and towards a healthier, happier, more equal South Yorkshire.” Anna Hartley, Director of Public Health at Barnsley Council, added: “This project is a shining example of how community initiatives can support health and wellbeing, providing opportunities for active travel while fostering inclusion and environmental sustainability. Seeing people learning new skills and gaining independence through cycling is fantastic. “It’s about freedom, opportunity, and connection. This project combines all that while giving old bikes new life, reducing waste, and building a stronger, more inclusive community here in Barnsley.” Founded by the Penistone Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support Group in collaboration with local volunteers, the project began in a small bike shed and has now found its first permanent home. The initiative is not only reducing landfill waste but also helping people rebuild their lives in Barnsley by connecting them with education, work, and leisure opportunities. Barnsley Refugee Bike Project Founder, Alex Simon, said: “It started when somebody asked for a bike, and I had a spare bike, and it snowballed from there. Other donations quickly followed. Now here we are in this fantastic workshop, with support from the National Lottery Community Fund, with a great team of people that’s growing all the time, including our friends from the asylum seeker and refugee community who are learning new skills and helping to refurbish the bikes. “The generosity and kindness of people and organisations in Barnsley has been amazing, enabling us to recycle over 450 bikes and organise regular bike rides to the beautiful places around Barnsley. To have our supporters and friends here today is very special and I want to thank everyone who has helped us.” Last year, Ed Clancy and Alex Simon presented the 100th refurbished bike to 10-year-old Amina, while others, like 30-year-old Tamru and siblings Ibrahim and Kaddi, also received bikes. Tamru, who fled Eritrea, now rides his bike to Barnsley College, where he is pursuing his studies—a testament to how the project helps residents access opportunities while easing financial pressures. Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said: “What we’re hearing today is a remarkable story about those that are welcomed and those that do the welcoming. It tells a story about how we can reach across divides to support each other because we see our collective humanity and our common spirit. The welcoming that is taking place through this project and the ripples it has, is remarkable. “It’s in community work like this that we cross divisions, that people create shared understanding and that we create a United Kingdom which is about inclusion, which is about a shared humanity and which is about supporting everyone, regardless of their background, to fulfil their potential.” |
