City cycling project helps Derby Cathedral School students get back on their bikes

A highly valued recycled bikes project has been helping Derby Cathedral School students get their wheels back in motion.

A group of students from the secondary on Great Northern Road – which is part of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust – were invited to pay a visit to Ayup Bikes on Newland Street to find out more about how to maintain their trusty two-wheelers.

Now leaders from Ayup Bikes are refurbishing and donating four bicycles to the school so students can use them to get to class and enjoy riding for pleasure too.

The students from the 1145-pupil secondary are regulars at its thriving Cycle Repair Shop, an after-school club which meets each week.

The popular club regularly attracts students from all year groups who meet to learn valuable skills in bike maintenance and repair.

Large numbers of students at the school get to their classes by bicycle as a practical and healthy mode of transport.

Students who attend the Cycle Repair Shop visited Ayup Bikes to receive some practical advice and demonstrations on how to keep their bicycles in good working order.

One student said the bike donation was particularly welcome as his own had recently been stolen from outside his home.

He said: “I came home one day and my bike had been stolen. My mum said she’d buy me a new one. I’m happy and my mum is also happy that I’m going to get a new bike instead of having to buy one.”

Year seven student Michael Odynayo, 11, said he had learned a lot about bikes from the session at Ayup.

He said: “I love cycling and I always want to explore and ride faster, try new things and learn new skills on the bike and hopefully know how to fix the bike.

“I’ve learned now that the bike has got to be checked all the time.”

School RE teacher Josh Turner launched the school’s Cycle Recycle Club a few years ago after a pupil in his tutor group had their bike stolen and could not afford to replace it.

The club sees students bringing their own bikes to keep them maintained and also benefits from donations from the school community.

Josh explained that the school had reached out to Ayup Bikes as stocks were running low, to see if they could attract more donations to help keep keen students on the road.

He said: “The Cycle Recycle Club at Derby Cathedral School has been going from strength to strength. We are so grateful to Ayup Bikes for delivering such a useful bike maintenance session for our students for free. Volunteers at Ayup Bikes have given up their time to help us which is really generous of them. The donation of four bikes is hugely appreciated. It means a great deal to our students.

“So many students at Derby Cathedral School come to class by bicycle. It’s practical and very healthy, and they also enjoy their bikes for pleasure too. It means they have got the freedom of going out with their mates on their bikes.”

Ayup Bikes is home to a Lloyds ReCycle Hub, a community-run initiative from British Cycling and Lloyds launched last year to tackle inequality and bring wider access to bikes for those who need it most.

Ayup Bikes was one of the first five sites to take part in the successful pilot project, intended to change lives by improving people’s social mobility, whilst also bringing about positive environmental impacts to local communities and underrepresented groups.

Ayup Bikes volunteer Fiona Finn said: “The project is about recycling. There are a lot of bikes that go to scrap or to waste or are just left by people in their garages and never used. We can be a link between bikes that would go to waste, or not be used, and people who could be encouraged to use a bike but do not own one. It’s great for these students to have access to a bike so they can get to school or just go out with friends.”

Dr Sarah Clark, CEO of Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, said: “Cycling is very important to many students at Derby Cathedral School and its Cycle Repair Shop is very popular. It’s great to see that they have been able to make good use of the Recycle Hub at Ayup Bikes. Thank you very much to them for refurbishing and donating four bikes. That is very generous and much appreciated.”