Free bikes handed out to pupils in Bradford
Pupils at a primary school in Bradford have been climbing into the saddles of their new bikes this week after being given a free set of wheels by a local community group.
More than 25 Children from Lapage Primary School’s Nursery were just the latest recipients of bikes from the On Trak team’s ‘Be Safe, Keep Safe’ project.
The initiative, operating out of St Enoch’s Garage in Wibsey, has seen over 500 bikes handed out to schools and youth groups since establishing three years ago.
Collecting them from Bradford Council, the garage then restores the bicycles to a quality standard, with the help of young volunteers, before they are sent off to be given a new lease of life.
Asif Iqbal and Amrik Singh are two learning mentors at Lapage who were on hand to help give out the bicycles to children and parents on Wednesday 26th November.
Mr Singh explained further about the relationship between the school and On Trak, which has been teaching children about road safety for two-and-a-half years.
“Here at Lapage primary school and nursery, we believe that pupils should have the opportunity to explore and develop their social skills at an early age,” Mr Singh said.
“Therefore, the school has networked with OnTrak and Bradford Council to run the ‘School Cycling Awareness project’ which has been a success for over two and a half years.
“This incentive, with the free bikes, is one of the first to take place in the West Yorkshire area, and for the children it offers them a healthy lifestyle whilst also learning how to enjoy riding outdoors safely.”
Adrian Woods MBE is the Operations Manager at On Trak and works with children, who have an interest in mechanics and engineering, at his Bradford Garage.
The charity aspect of St Enoch’s Garage is something Mr Woods is very passionate about and said he has been helping restore bikes, with the help of students, for three years now.
“We can get around 100 bikes a month handed over to us from Bradford Council of which around 90 per cent are recycled and sent off to schools or youth groups,” he explained.
“What we cannot use, or cannot fix, we keep for spare parts so everything comes in useful.”
Adding about the importance of giving children the chance to learn about road safety from an early age, Mr Woods said: “If we can save one life in ten years of teaching, then that is a success in my eyes.
“Lapage have been very active in their road safety project and their children deserve these bikes, which will be great for them to use at home or school.”
