Wexford County Council together with Rotary Wexford Branch, Rotary Ireland, The Defence Forces and the Irish Prison Service are appealing for the donation of unwanted bikes for the School Bikes Africa Initiative.

The Project has been running for over 6 years nationally lead by Rotary Ireland and with the co-operation and assistance of Local Authorities, the Department of Environment Climate and Communications (DECC), the Defence Forces and the Prison Service over 5,000 bikes have been collected, repaired and shipped to Africa to countries such as the Gambia where school students use the bikes to enable them to access education often over distances greater than 10 kilometres to their schools.

In seeking unwanted bikes Wexford County Council require;

Strong sturdy bikes capable of withstanding rough terrain.
Bicycles that would suit primary or secondary school students.
Bicycles with mountain bike type-tyres.
Bicycles with a minimum tyre size of 24 inches.

The bicycles can be left into any of the Council’s 4 Household Recycling Centres in Gorey, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Holmestown, Barntown, Wexford during opening hours of 08.15-12.00 and 13.00-16.00 Tuesday to Friday and 08.15-12.00 13.00-15.00 on Saturday from Thursday 16th September through to Friday 17th December, 2021.

Councillor Barbara Anne Murphy in launching the Project at the Holmestown Household Recycling Centre said,

“This is a marvellous initiative and one that clearly demonstrates how the Council is trying to encourage the people of Wexford to prevent, reduce and reuse waste and it is apt that it will run during National Reuse month in October. Donating, revamping and repairing items are all forms of reuse and it affords people the chance to save money and to become part of an initiative that helps people in prison acquire new skills and young people in other countries a better chance to benefit from education. Wexford County Council is delighted to help facilitate this worthwhile project”.

Calodagh McCumiskey, President of the Rotary Club of Wexford welcomed the project,

“It is great to see such a successful and beneficial project coming to Wexford. The project is good for the environment, good for personal development and it gives school students in Africa a better chance to maintain their access to education. I appeal to Wexford householders to check their garages, sheds and attics for repairable bikes that would be suitable to be fixed up and despatched to students in Africa. Having spent 9 years of my life in Africa, I know very well what a practical difference a bike can make in the lives of people and the world of opportunities it can open up for them.”

Jason Dempsey of Rotary Ireland summed it up by saying,

“The School Bikes Africa Initiative is a Win, Win, Win; a Win for climate change given the benefits of repair and reuse as well as promoting sustainable transport. A Win for prison inmates providing opportunities for training and rehabilitation and a Win for School Students in Africa in providing a better chance for availing of education”.