The Estate Caretaking Team at Greatwell Homes has helped a local charity project for retired and unemployed men to thrive after donating more than 30 abandoned bikes.
Wellingborough Mind runs a project called, Men’s Shed, which gives retired and unemployed men the opportunity to come together and work on various hobbies aimed at filling a void in their lives. The projects also have a way of generating an income for themselves, be it through making garden furniture or bird feeders, wood turning bowls, ornaments or any other skill that somebody may be able to utilise.
The local project, which is based in Havelock Street, repairs abandoned and donated bikes to make good and sell through Mind’s charity shop in Park Road.
Greatwell Homes’ Estate Caretakers saw they were in a good position to help and for the past year have been storing abandoned bikes for a period of up to three months in case any of them are reported lost or stolen.
Once it’s clear the bikes are not missing they are donated to the project. On one occasion the team delivered 30 bikes leading to a letter of thanks from Wellingborough Mind. In the letter technician, David Gray, described how the group had come on ‘leaps and bounds’ and that they’d even made a tandem bike from the donated bikes.
For more information on the Men’s Shed project call 01933 223591 or email: wenmensshed@gmail.com