West Midlands charity boosted by five-figure donation
A Birmingham charity that refurbishes bikes for refugees and people seeking asylum across the West Midlands has received a donation of more than £14,000 from Amazon.
The donation was made to The Bike Project, an award-winning charity that refurbishes bikes for refugees, helping them gain freedom and independence as they rebuild their lives in the UK. The charity also teaches refugee women to cycle and runs a Bike Buddy Programme to support people as they build friendships and confidence. The Bike Project supports people across the West Midlands and London, as well as reaching refugees across the UK.
Amazon’s support includes the donation of helmets, locks and lights worth £4,000, and a £9,900 monetary donation. To mark the donation, 28 volunteers from Amazon attended an event with The Bike Project to donate bikes to 60 refugees in the Birmingham area.
Oli Cox from The Bike Project said: “It was great to be joined by the Amazon volunteers at our bike donation event. This donation will have such a positive impact to those in need of a bike across the West Midlands and we’re so grateful for the ongoing support.”
Esther Ogunfusika is one of the Amazon employees who volunteered at the event. She added: “We are proud to make this donation to The Bike Project and to continue building our relationship with its team. Our team enjoyed lending a helping hand at this event, which was such a great way to bring the community together.”
Since January 2022, Amazon has also supported The Bike Project’s London hub through its pro-bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good. Each week, Amazon transports bikes and recently began collecting and redistributing bikes via the charity’s Birmingham hub.
Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to support families in need. The West Midlands Multibank opened this year, with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC). The initiative has donated more than 8 million surplus goods to over 600,000 families across Wales, Scotland, Greater Manchester, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham. This year, the Multibank will send 1 million orders to families across the UK.
Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.
Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people across the UK, and around the world.
