Olympian backs bike campaign

Former Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist has become the patron of a charity which rescues unwanted bikes from the UK and ships them to Africa.
Chris BoardmanChris Boardman
Chris Boardman

Three-time Tour de France stage winner Chris Boardman, MBE, is calling on people in Eastbourne to support the Re-Cycle charity.

He said: “I am delighted and honoured to have been asked to become Re~Cycle’s Patron.

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“It’s an incredible charity that helps so many people. “A total of 87,000 bikes have already been delivered but the charity desperately needs more.”

“On behalf of Re~Cycle, I’m appealing to Eastbourne residents to delve into their sheds, dig out their old bike and take it to Halfords for use by communities in some of the most isolated parts of Africa.”

Eastbourne residents can donate their unwanted bikes to the store on Lottbridge Drove.

The store will be collecting bikes all year round and works with Re~Cycle to ship them to Africa where they’ll be restored and distributed.

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Merlin Matthews, Founder and CEO of Re~Cycle, said: “We are thrilled to have Chris on board.

“As a cyclist, he really understands what we do and the impact it has on thousands of people.

“Transport in parts of rural Africa is either non-existent or too expensive.

“Riding a bike allows people to cover four times more ground and carry five times more load in weight than a person on foot, and is the only affordable transport choice for millions of people across Africa. It means children do better at school, nurses can visit more patients and farmers can get their produce to market.”

Research in Africa has found that on average, each bike is shared by up to six people.

To find out more visit www.re-cycle.org