Communities Fund provided £824 of match funding
Creating Communities by Bike: Reduce, Reuse & Ride
Saint Austell, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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Aim
Help us unite Cornish communities by rescuing bikes, cutting waste & emissions with repair workshops, sustainable transport & social rides.
The Cornwall Bicycle Project is seeking support to expand our "Creating Communities by Bike" programme across Cornwall. We are fundamentally trying to encourage everyone to 'Reduce, Reuse and Ride'.
The project will increase access to affordable, sustainable transport by rescuing unwanted bicycles donated to TCBP, refurbishing them through our community workshops, and providing them at affordable prices to people who would otherwise face transport barriers due to low income, disability, social isolation, or lack of access to public transport.
We will use a combination of cycle refurbishment, maintenance training, confidence-building sessions and inclusive cycling activities for all ages and abilities. We wish to support more communities across Cornwall to access cycling for leisure and everyday journeys whilst reducing waste and carbon emissions.
The Need
Cornwall faces significant challenges around rural and coastal isolation, transport poverty and access to employment, education and health services. Many communities have limited public transport options, leaving people dependent on expensive car travel often restricting life opportunities.
Cycling around Cornwall can often be regarded as challenging and scary. TCBP has a programme that helps to build cycling confidence and has a small fleet of electric and adapted bikes to help people to know what types of bikes are available to make cycling Cornwall more accessible.
At the same time, hundreds of bicycles are discarded each year despite being repairable. By recovering, refurbishing and reusing bicycles, we can tackle both environmental and social challenges simultaneously.
What We Will Deliver
Funding will support:
- Collection and refurbishment of donated bicycles.
- Provision of affordable and free bicycles to people most in need.
- Community bike maintenance workshops teaching repair and reuse skills.
- Volunteer opportunities that build confidence and employability.
- Inclusive cycling activities for disabled people and those facing barriers to participation.
- Outreach sessions promoting cycling as a low-carbon transport option.
- Partnership working opportunities to help inform infrastructure changes to make cycling in Cornwall safer.
What is our Climate Action Impact?
This project directly contributes to climate action by:
- Diverting bicycles from waste streams and landfill.
- Extending the life of existing resources through repair and reuse.
- Encouraging low-carbon transport alternatives.
- Reducing reliance on private car journeys.
- Promoting sustainable travel habits within local communities.
Over the project period we expect to:
- Refurbish and redistribute more than 150 bicycles across Cornwall.
- Rehome hundreds of cycling accessories and components.
- Support over 250 local people through workshops, volunteering and cycling activities.
- Prevent significant quantities of reusable materials from entering the waste stream.
What is our Community Impact?
Participants will gain:
- Affordable access to transport.
- Increased confidence and independence.
- Improved physical and mental wellbeing.
- Practical cycle maintenance skills.
- Opportunities to volunteer, learn and connect with others.
The project will particularly benefit people experiencing transport poverty, young people, disabled adults, older residents and individuals experiencing social isolation.
Why TCBP?
The Cornwall Bicycle Project has a proven track record of delivering community cycling, bicycle reuse and inclusive cycling programmes across Cornwall. This includes the hugely successful Active Transport Pilot Project run in partnership with Cornwall Council's Healthy Cornwall and St Austell Healthcare. Through our workshops in Camborne and St Austell, and our adapted cycling hubs at Par Track and Carn Brea, we support hundreds of people every year to become more active, connected and environmentally conscious.
We are also able to use this local network to have conversations with the right people ant the right level to bring about change to make cycling in Cornwall more safe and accessible.
Why Support this Project?
By combining environmental sustainability with community wellbeing, this project will help create healthier, greener and more resilient communities across Cornwall.
We are seeking match funding to support staffing, volunteer supervision, workshop consumables, bicycle refurbishment materials, outreach delivery and the operational costs required to recover, repair and redistribute bicycles within local communities.
This project aligns well with Climate Action themes because it centres on reuse, repair, waste reduction, circular economy principles, and low-carbon transport, while still showcasing TCBP's wider social impact.
Please help us to continue the amazing work that our local staff and volunteers are already doing AND help us to extend our reach to more people of Cornwall by supporting us with this project. Please share this campaign with friends and family and feel free to approach local businesses on our behalf for sponsorship so we can work more collaboratively with our communities.
RIDE*CONNECT*CHANGE
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 18th December 2026 at 3:54pm