Culmination of bike appeal celebrated at police station
The culmination of a bike appeal in Dudley has been celebrated at Brierley Hill Police Station on Friday.
Police built up a collection of used and unclaimed bikes at the station, and rather than get rid of them, fixed them up to give away to people who could get good use out of them.
Police worked with West Midlands Fire Service, Dudley Council, local businesses, charities and voluntary bodies to identify those who would benefit the most from our bike giveaway.
The police launched the appeal in July last year asking for people across the borough to donate any unwanted bikes.
The fire service hosted drop-off points at their stations for the bikes, which were then shipped off to the repair and maintenance experts within Dudley Council’s road safety team to refurbish and make roadworthy.
The public response to our appeal was phenomenal.
Bikes ranging from racers and mountain bikes to children’s tricycles, and over Christmas gifted over 70 bikes to families, charities and other community support groups across Dudley.
Among the recipients were a local charity that helps people recovering from cancer treatment to get fit again, an activity centre in Coseley offering free fitness class for the community, and children from families with special social and health needs being supported by the council’s dedicated family hubs.
The police presented certificates of thanks to all those involved in making the appeal such a success at Friday’s celebration event.
Chief Inspector Balraj Sohal from Dudley Police, said: “We were delighted to host this event to show our appreciation to our partners within the council, the fire service, and across the business and charity sector for their heroic efforts.
“I’d also like to say a heartfelt thanks to the people of Dudley who generously donated bikes to boost our appeal.
“This was a wonderful community-focussed project and I know the individuals and groups who received the bikes were immensely grateful.”
