Based next to the lake in Platt Fields Park, the Bike Hub has been working hard over the past few months to get old bikes back on the road, while at the same time giving refugees a way to get around the city.
We caught up with Zym to find out how the R4GM Community Fund has made a difference to their project.
What was the inspiration behind the project?
“The people that are using our workshop are predominantly low-income customers and there has been quite a big demand for bikes. We’ve been approached several times by aid organisations who work with refugees so see if we could help. It’s been the focus for this project to enable people to have their bikes fixed for less than they would normally have to pay or have it done for free.
“It’s a big boost to cyclists in general but particularly for people who struggle to pay for public transport and accommodation. If money’s tight, having a bike for free and knowing it’s safe to ride, whether you’re going to the job centre or an interview, we believe cycling is definitly helping people on low incomes.”
How has the R4GM Community Fund helped with your aims and ambitions?
“It has allowed us to give more attention to this section of our community and allocate appropriate resources towards it. We have been able to increase staff hours to get the bikes ready, and we’re also able to attract a bit more interest from the community in terms of bikes donated towards us. Internally as an organisation, our focus to provide refugees with bikes has meant that we have now allocated time and effort specifically to support that group.”
What has the impact been on the community as a result of the project?
“The feedback we have been getting from people who have received bikes from us is overwhelmingly positive and everyone is so happy that they have been taken care of in that respect. It means a lot to us as well, it’s very valuable and it feels quite rewarding that you are helping someone who has maybe had help refused before. So just based on that positive feedback we can see that there’s definitly a glimmer of hope and kindness and humanity going..
“It’s difficult to say how long term this will affect the community, but even if we can help a handful of people that’s a handful of people less who are struggling to get about Manchester. We’ve dispensed about 13 bikes so far. We pledged about 35 so we’re kind of mid-way through, but I also feel like this is the winter period and we’ll get probably more interest later on in the year. We’re still trying to link up with other organisations to help us reach those in need. Our focus now is getting the bikes ready for the refugees. Mid way through, I think we’re on track.”
Has there been a specific moment that you feel most proud of?
“Adil, a refugee from Uzbekistan, he’s one of the people who gravitated towards us and he wanted to volunteer with us. We were happy that he wanted to spend some time with us, learn a few things about fixing bikes. Hopefully it might lead to employment for him, I’m not sure if it’s possible to offer him employment at this stage as his English is quite limited but we can see he has the knack for mechanics and if his English gets better I’m sure he’ll be able to find employment in a bike shop. The good thing is helping him to get his English up to speed as for most refugees, not all, communication can be a barrier.”
What do you plan to do next?
“We’re going to try and carry on with our own fundraising efforts to continue the programme with refugee bikes in the future. The grant fund that we received helped us to identify the need, get links with relevant organisations and we will look at carrying on so where we know where to go with additional funding, and improving our own fundraising and marketing so we can get dedicated mechanics just for that.”
How can people get involved with the project?
“There are ways of donating, you can find out how to donate on our Facebook, Instagram and our website. We are welcoming anyone who has an old bike who wants to get rid of, so they don’t have to scrap it. We might be able to save parts from it or might be able to do it up and give it to someone who will love that bike. Currently, we’re not open to anyone for bike mechanic volunteering unless they are trained mechanics, or they’re looking to get into the profession and want to get a few more hours on the spanners so they can learn and hopefully help us fix some bikes.
“At the moment, we have two volunteers but that’s peak capacity for us to be able to do what we do and train. If there’s organisations or individuals who know someone who needs a bike definitely send them to us, we’ll try to do our best to sort them out with a bike. The best way to do that is either to ringing us, or pop in. If they need a bike, they need to be sized up so we can make sure we have a suitable bike. If the individuals live far away, maybe it’s best to call or reach out on social media first.”
Do you have an idea for a project? Apply for funding now!
Shop our range of handpicked, vintage and preloved items via our online store or eBay page to find something truly special.
You can shop in person too – pop into one of our shops at the recycling centres in Altrincham, Irlam and Oldham for a selection of affordable decorations, kitchenware and furniture.
All of the items we sell have been donated by Greater Manchester residents at our recycling centres, and the money raised goes to good causes across the city-region through our Community Fund and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Many of the items in our shops are barely used, and some are even brand new.
…And much more!
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MOREIf you are replacing your mattress, you can take your old mattress to a recycling centre.
Mattresses are delivered to The Furniture Recycling Group in Bolton, where they are dismantled, ready to be recycled into something new.
1. Mattresses are collected from our recycling centres in Greater Manchester.
2. The mattresses are then delivered to the recycling facility.
3. Mattresses are dismantled by hand into 19 component parts.
This includes:
4. The separated materials are then cleaned ready for processing
5. The materials are made into new products such as:
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MORE
Did you know you could put yourself, our bin crews and recycling centre staff in danger if you dispose of batteries in any of your bins at home? Read on to find out how to dispose of and recycle batteries safely.
Old batteries may seem ‘dead’ but they can cause fires in your home, bin lorries and recycling centres when they are punctured or crushed. They also contain hazardous materials which may endanger our operational staff if not disposed of correctly.
When recycling batteries, follow these simple steps to keep your home and our staff safe:
There are hidden batteries in many electrical items such as electric toothbrushes, toys, e-cigarettes, vapes, phones, laptops, and many more. You can recycle them by following the same steps above.
If you are unsure how to recycle an item, have a look at our A-Z item guide to help you recycle as much as you can and to dispose of your waste safely.
When next replacing batteries, why not buy rechargeable batteries instead? You can use them again and again, which will save you money and help you waste less.
If you’d like to find a new home for your electrical items, you could bring them to your local recycling centre (except for Chester Road and Reliance Street) and place them at the donation container which will then be brought to our Renew Hub.
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MOREYour small actions can help create a healthy more sustainable place to live and being in the loop can even save you money. Reducing how much you buy, choosing more sustainable products or shopping pre-loved can lead to big savings.
The loop, AKA the circular economy, is about reducing waste. Recycling is a really important element of the loop. We need to get the full potential of materials before we destroy them and make something new from scratch. Repairing things and using things to the maximum is going to save you money.
This blog busts common myths around recycling and reuse.
My actions won’t make a difference – False
The average Greater Manchester resident throws away half a tonne of waste every year. We each also produce around 13 tonnes of C02 and greenhouse gasses each year, double the world average.
Only 48% of our waste is recycled, meaning we’re throwing away millions of tonnes of recyclable things every year. This wastes resources and means having to spend huge amounts of energy re-mining for materials we could have reused, further eating into dwindling natural resources.
Running out of resources isn’t something I need to worry about in my lifetime – False
If we continue as we are, fossil fuels could run out by 2060. Lithium, the element used in batteries could be totally used up in 17 years. Electric vehicles are a fantastic way to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used, but lithium is a vital component in electric vehicle batteries.
If the UK recycled all of the single use vapes we currently throw away, in 1 year we’d have enough lithium for 1200 electric vehicle batteries.
Reusable products are more expensive – False
Read our blog on how sustainable swaps can save your family £1670 a year here.
Sustainable and reusable products are built to last. They are slightly more expensive due to the quality, but when you factor only having to pay once instead of every week, the savings quickly add up. If you switched to reusable kitchen roll, you could save £245 in a year. As well as benefiting your pocket, you’re helping to reduce the amount of rubbish we produce and reduce the amount of materials taken from the earth.
A recycling symbol on packaging automatically means I can recycle it – False
There are loads of different versions of recycling symbols on packaging and it can be confusing.
This is the most common symbol you’ll see and it’s designed to encourage people to recycle. However, each local authority recycles differently, so it’s important to check www.recycleforgreatermanchester.com/what-do-i-do-with/ if you can put the packaging into your household recycling bins, if it needs to be taken to the recycling centre, or if it needs to go in general waste.
The Green Dot shows the company making the packaging has paid money towards a recycling scheme. It doesn’t mean that the packaging can be recycled or is made from recycled materials.
This symbol is found on electrical items and shows that they can’t be put into your general waste bin. Electrical items need to be disposed of at your local recycling centre so the precious metals inside can be reused. You can also check if you can return electricals to the store you bought it from for recycling. Electrical waste causes fires and by not recycling, we lose precious resources that could have been turned into new devices.
We urgently need to change from our current system of buying things and throwing them away. Reducing the amount of stuff we use and keeping precious resources in use as long as possible, before recycling them fully, is vital to combat climate change and resource scarcity.
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MOREBe in the loop by repairing instead of throwing away. Electronic waste is a huge problem in the UK, with so many appliances being thrown away before they’re truly broken.
Have you gone to heat up your tea and found your microwave sparking? Instead of forking out £80 on a new one, this £5 repair could be the solution to get your microwave back spinning safely.
If you’re certain no foil has found its way into the machine, a damaged waveguide cover might be the cause of the sparks. This small rectangle of silver card allows the microwaves rays to heat the food. If it gets dirty or damaged it can cause sparking and result in problems heating food. There’s no need for a full replacement appliance. Save yourself money and save the planets resources.
This guide will take you through the steps to replace your microwave waveguide cover. If you’re in any doubt about the safety of your appliance, always get a qualified technician to investigate for you.
*Always make sure electronics are unplugged before investigating or working on them*
Step 1:
Have a look at the waveguide cover.
It’s a silvery rectangle usually on the right-hand side, inside the machine. Is it looking dirty? Is it torn? Are there scorch marks from the sparks? If so, it needs replacing.
Step 2:
Order a replacement waveguide cover.
Go online and search ‘microwave waveguide cover’. You’ll find some designed to fit specific makes and models. We think it’s easiest to buy a sheet and cut the new cover to size.
Step 3:
Take out your old waveguide cover and trace the shape onto the new cover card.
Step 4:
Cut round your traced outline.
Step 5:
Fit the new waveguide cover, plug the microwave back in.
That’s it, all fixed! Now find yourself a treat to test your handy work and breath a sign or relief that you’ve not needlessly thrown away a microwave for the sake of a few inches of silver card.
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MORE
Repair your clothes with these five hacks.
Save yourself money and keep your favourite items in your wardrobe rotation with these super easy hacks.
Making textiles is massively resource intensive: it takes 2,700 litres of water to make a t-shirt, which is as much drinking water as 1 person needs for 2.5 years! If we all doubled the number of times we wore an item of clothing, we would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 44%. These hacks will help you repair your clothes, so you can wear them for as long as possible.
If you don’t have the time to make repairs, you can support a sustainable business and get them to extend the life of your clothes. Here are our favourites:
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MORE
Why should we repair stuff in our homes instead of buying new? Firstly, it’s a lot lighter on the wallet than buying a replacement. Secondly, you can tell everyone that comes round ‘I did it myself’ and they’ll be impressed by your efforts. And finally, it keeps items in use for as long as possible so new things don’t have to be made for no reason, conserving the planet’s scarce resources.
We’ve included five super simple hacks that anyone can do at home. There’s no need for expensive tools or complicated manuals with these cheap repairs – you’ve got this!
Remove rust with foil. Did you know all it takes is a balled-up bit of foil and you can get metal gleaming again? All you do is rub the ball of foil on the rusty part, and with a bit of elbow grease, it will remove the rust. This works inside on rusty sinks and hinges, and outside on bikes and garden furniture.
Remove stubborn mould from blinds. With the amount of rain we get in Greater Manchester, it’s pretty hard to avoid mould in your home. But a few black spots on your white roller blinds doesn’t mean you need to throw them away.
Fill the bath with cold water and bleach (bonus tip: bleach works better with cold water) and soak them for at least 1 hour. Rinse them off and hang to dry. This tip also works really well on plastic shower curtains.
Peel and stick wall and furniture covering. Got a scuffed side table or hate the colour of your kitchen cupboards? Peel and stick papers are a staple for renters who want to put their temporary mark on a property. These patterned sheets come in loads of colours and patterns and work like giant stickers to refresh your furniture; you can even get wallpaper versions.
Change colour with spray paint. Spray paint is amazing for changing up small items in your home like lamps, plant pots and picture frames. It’s super quick to apply and quick drying. Just be sure to do it outside and wear a mask to avoid breathing in the fumes and give the item a good dust before you start. Spray in thin coats to avoid blobs of paint.
Vacuum cleaner not working like it used to? Vacuums are expensive to replace – keep yours working well for as long as possible by showing it a little TLC. Properly cleaning the filter and the tubes can make a world of difference to how well it performs. If you’ve got a more serious fault, there are loads of local repair cafes and business who can help. Visit the Repair Directory to find your closest.
Need tools for a bigger project? Did you know the average drill is only used for 13 minutes in its lifetime! Don’t buy a drill to neglect it, use these hire schemes instead:
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MORE
Hannah from Tread Softly transforms unwanted furniture into beautiful one of a kind pieces. Hannah shares her upcycling tips with us on how to get started.
As we are becoming increasingly aware of the need to reuse and recycle, there has been a surge of interest in upcycling furniture. I started my business Tread Softly out of a desire to challenge mass produced consumerism and a throwaway society and to highlight the benefits of upcycling old and unwanted items as well as reducing the amount of mass produced ‘fast’ furniture entering the world.
The best part of it, is that old furniture is often better made than the equivalent flat-packed furniture we get today and with a little bit of time, love and care, you can create a completely unique piece of furniture for your home that no one else will have. I also love that these pieces of furniture have a history of their own and through transforming and updating them we can breathe a new lease of life into them.
The idea of upcycling a piece of furniture can be a bit daunting at first but it’s not so difficult if you follow the steps. I taught myself how to do it and made many mistakes along the way, so hopefully I can save you a bit of time by taking you through the process.
Here is a before and after photo of a coffee table that I upcycled for my lounge. I found it in a charity shop just around the corner from my home.
1. Clean item thoroughly with sugar soap or T.S.P and allow to dry
2. Check for any imperfections – fill any scratches or holes with wood filler and allow to dry
3. Sand item to take sheen off (‘key it’ to allow paint to stick)
Start with 80 grit and then move to a 120 grit.
– Can finish with a 180 grit to really smooth out any scratches from sanding.
(The higher the grit the less rough the sand paper)
– Always sand in the same direction as the grain of the wood
4. Use either a tack cloth or white spirit to remove all the dust created from sanding.
5. Now you are ready to paint!
Most of my furniture features at least some painted element and often I paint the entire piece. I love being able to experiment with colours and geometric shapes to give a dated piece of furniture a new lease of life. Paint is really good at hiding scratches and imperfections that it may have acquired in its previous life. I usually use a good wood paint (just make sure you paint with primer before applying) or Fusion Mineral paints (which do not require primer).
There are loads of gorgeous pieces of wooden furniture just waiting to be rescued from charity shops, so keep an eye out next time you are browsing. And if you feel a bit overwhelmed by taking on a big project then why not try doing some smaller items first such as wooden candle sticks, picture frames, trinket boxes or trays.
If you would love to have a go at upcycling and painting a piece of furniture but feel like you would benefit from some guidance then I run upcycling workshops from the gorgeous Pear Mill in Stockport. At the workshops, I talk you through how to prepare your furniture; from using wood filler to choosing the right sand paper as well as help with paint brush selection and advice on different top coats you can use. I will demonstrate how to use masking tape to create modern geometric designs so that you will leave feeling confident and full of ideas for future upcycling projects.
Hannah’s next workshop is on Friday 28th February and they take place once a month. To book a place and for more information visit www.treadsoftlydesigns.co.uk
Follow on Instagram @treadsoftlyuk
Here’s everything you need to know to stay sustainable during your Seder and spring cleaning.
READ MORE
If you’re preparing to observe in the Holy month of Ramadan this year you are probably busy planning on self-reflection, donating and family time. And eating, of course. Here’s our guide to staying sustainable this Ramadan…
READ MORE
We’ve launched a brand new Repair Café! The Boggart Hole Clough Repair Café is a collaboration between Stitched Up, the In Our Nature Programme and Lakeside CIC to bring the right to repair to the community of Blackley. Come to the Lakeside Café between 10-12, have a brew, and enjoy the beautiful view of the […]
READ MORE
