Who are we?
We are a small, unique, not for profit CIC, community hub, with a cafe, meeting facilities, a workshop with qualified cycling mechanics carrying out maintenance repairs / upgrades, who also provides mental health first aid by qualified staff and volunteers, with a Defib with CPR trained members.
Initially hosting cycling, running & tri clubs, who provide repairs, advice and refreshments for other clubs & tourists, who organise and host events for sports, health & fitness and other interesting related topics.
As tends to happen, especially during times of trauma, such as the pandemic & now the cost of living crisis, some of our local community decided that we were a safe, warm & welcoming venue to have a cheap "brew" & healthy bite to eat and "a natter" or just a safe warm space to use.
As a result, we want to expand our community offerings, to warm & feed people who need it, not only to look after them / signpost them for help, but also to encourage them to take up some physical activity again.
We have raised significant funds for Prostate Cancer, North West Ambulance Service Charity and crowdfunded a Defib, Registered on "The Circuit" for emergency public use, CPR and Defib training for staff and have 8 x trained mental health first aiders.
We aren't just a local hub, we are a venue for many regional clubs in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and tourists from further afield.
We act as a hub for blind tandem rides and are involved in a number of community related cycling (of all types) initiatives
We support regular rides to people of all ages and regardless of their experience, including mental health initiatives on road & a local track under the initiative called "Mindful miles"
This year's objective:
You can’t be sad whilst riding a bicycle!
At Bowland Bikes CIC we would love to help less fortunate young people get access to a bicycle to help them start out on the journey. Looked after children have a tough start to life. A young life often filled with trauma and disruption.
Cycling can have a profound effect on young people’s mental wellbeing. It could relieve stress, increase confidence, improve sleep quality, enhance cognitive function and increase social interaction. As well as these there are other more obvious physical benefits including a strengthened immune system, improved balance and coordination, strengthening of muscle groups and improvements in cardiovascular health. It also improves environmental awareness and can give a basic understanding of mechanics.
Our aim is to help bring some joy and health benefits by providing a professionally prepared safe and road legal bicycle package to assist accessing all these benefits.
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Why are we crowdfunding?
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You can’t be sad whilst riding a bicycle.
At Bowland Bikes CIC we would love to help less fortunate young people get access to a bicycle to help them start out on the journey. Looked after children have a tough start to life. A young life often filled with trauma and disruption.
Cycling can have a profound effect on young people’s mental wellbeing. It could relieve stress, increase confidence, improve sleep quality, enhance cognitive function and increase social interaction. As well as these there are other more obvious physical benefits including a strengthened immune system, improved balance and coordination, strengthening of muscle groups and improvements in cardiovascular health. It also improves environmental awareness and can give a basic understanding of mechanics.
Our aim is to help bring some joy and health benefits by providing a professionally prepared safe and road legal bicycle package to assist accessing all these benefits.
How we’ll spend the money raised
Stage 1. Collect suitable bikes through donation and appeals.
Stage 2. Prepare the bikes to a safe road legal standard.
Stage 3. Provide essential safety equipment (helmet. lock and lights)
Stage 4. Donate the bikes to suitable recipients.
Stage 5. Follow up maintenance and training
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Community impact
Cycling can have a profound effect on young people’s mental wellbeing. It could relieve stress, increase confidence, improve sleep quality, enhance cognitive function and increase social interaction. As well as these there are other more obvious physical benefits including a strengthened immune system, improved balance and coordination, strengthening of muscle groups and improvements in cardiovascular health. It also improves environmental awareness and can give a basic understanding of mechanics.
Our aim is to help bring some joy and health benefits by providing a professionally prepared safe and road legal bicycle package to assist accessing all these benefits.
How you can play your part
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!