Face for radio

Wow, just managed to sit down and catch my breath following my interview on BBC 5 Live on Friday, listen again here. The response has been amazing, so far we’ve already had 8 bikes donated and over £300 raised. I spent Monday and Tuesday driving around London picking up bikes and today I’ve had two dropped off. Tomorrow I’m going to get to work on the repairs and cleaning the bikes up, getting them ready for our event with Voyage Youth next month.

The only problem I have now is where to put them all! I’m working on securing a workshop/storage area now that things are picking up. There’s a really cool community space in Brixton that specialises in upcycling and has communal work areas for artists, designers and makers, so would be ideal for what we’re trying to do.

Also had a great chat with the Circle Collective in Dalston. They’re a charity and clothing store that supports young people experiencing a range of barriers to find permanent work. The charity, Circle Community, runs a successful #BackYourFuture  programme, while the social enterprise, Circle Collective, runs two streetwear stores that serve as a training ground for our young people. They aim for all profits from their stores to be fully reinvested back into the training of young people and #BreakingTheCircle of youth unemployment. They’re keen for some bikes and would like to get me in to give a workshop to their young people on how to take care of them, so great practice for when I have my own place!

Stay tuned for more news and pics from next weeks event.

Phil