Resurrection Bikes in Harrogate wins national volunteering award

By Victoria Heywood
Wednesday, 10 October 2018
John Rowe collects award for Resurrection Bikes
Resurrection Bikes has been awarded ‘Best Community Project’ at national cycling charity Cycling UK’s annual Volunteer of the Year Awards

The announcement was made at Cycling UK’s Big Bike Celebration on Saturday.

Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, Resurrection Bikes is an entirely volunteer-led project which fixes up second-hand bikes and sells them on for charity.

Founder John Rowe first had the idea for Resurrection Bikes when he reconditioned a bike in his garage to help fund his daughter’s gap year. Since receiving Lottery funding in 2014, Resurrection Bikes has grown to accommodate more than 30 regular volunteers and is open 4 days a week to the general public.

In 2017, 1,112 bikes were donated and 537 sold on, raising £35,000 to give away to other charities including Aid to Eastern Europe, Neema Crafts and In2Out.

John said: “It was a great feeling when we found out we had won as it really recognises the hundreds of hours of time spent by our volunteers cleaning up and fixing the bikes we have had donated, as well as the generosity of donors and customers that makes the whole project possible.

“We still have a lot to do in Harrogate to build awareness so that unwanted bikes don’t end up rotting in sheds or going to the tip, and to keep repeating Big Bike Revival events so that people are able to keep their bikes running safely.

“We have a great team and we will keep building their expertise and numbers, so we can fix more bikes and keep up with demand as we become better known.”

Alex Cuppleditch, Head of Volunteering at Cycling UK said: “Resurrection Bikes is a real success story, giving new life to old bikes and getting more people out cycling in the process.

“We wish John and the team all the best for the future and hope to continue having them as a Big Bike Revival partner.”

Notes to editors

  1. Cycling UK, the national cycling charity, inspires and helps people to cycle and keep cycling, whatever kind of cycling they do or would like to do. Over a century’s experience tells us that cycling is more than useful transport; it makes you feel good, gives you a sense of freedom and creates a better environment for everyone. www.cyclinguk.org
  2. Cycling UK's Volunteer of the Year Awards are given annually to recognise and celebrate all the incredible work volunteers do to encourage others to start cycling and keep cycling. This year’s winners were announced at Cycling UK’s Big Bike Celebration in Harrogate on Saturday 6 October. There were ten categories this year. For more information, visit https://www.cyclinguk.org/about/volunteers-year-awards
  3. Images of this year’s winners can be found here: https://www.skyfish.com/p/cyclinguk/1328674
  4. More information about Resurrection Bikes can be found on its website: https://www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk/
  5. Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival project aims to overcome barriers and help everyone with an unloved bike in a shed or garage to get it out and start riding again. For more information about the Big Bike Revival see www.cyclingukorg/bigbikerevival

Press contact information

For more information, interview requests and images contact the national Cycling UK Press Office on 01483 238 315, 07786 320 713 or email [email protected]

Volunteering for Cycling UK

Further reading