Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is donating bikes abandoned at its railway stations to a scheme that helps people with learning difficulties gain new skills and build their independence.

The bikes are donated to the workshop of TAG Bikes based in Huntingdon Community Centre. The workshop has a team of 15 adults with learning difficulties who are supervised by an employment skills worker qualified as a bike mechanic to service and repair the machines.

Once they have been overhauled, they are sold with the cash raised ploughed back into the charity, which is run by Cambridgeshire County Council as part of its Supporting into Work programme.

In 2018, GTR donated nearly 50 bikes to TAG after its GTR’s distribution manager heard that TAG had put out an appeal in the local media.

The bikes were sold at affordable prices and the money raised paid for computer equipment and television for the workshop, as well as spare parts to fix more bikes.

The company has recently donated 40 more bikes to the workshop when two van-loads of machines were delivered from GTR’s Letchworth depot. These had been left at Thameslink and Great Northern stations and unclaimed by their owners after several months in storage.

Thameslink and Great Northern Customer Services Director Jenny Saunders said: “A surprising number of bikes get left on our network, so we’re delighted to make partnerships with charities and local authorities who run schemes to make them roadworthy again. Our support means these community projects can help local people gain new skills and work experience, and provide an affordable way for more people to enjoy the health and environmental benefits of cycling. It’s a real win-win-win all round, and we’ve now donated well over 1,000 bikes to schemes across the South East.”

Cllr Susan van de Ven, vice-chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Adults and Health Committee, said: “The bike donations we receive are vital to the success of TAG Bikes and helping the development of our learners.
“I’d like to thank GTR for its generous support which will help this brilliant community initiative and allow us to get more people with learning disabilities into work and to improve their independence.”