In April, Bigfoot members responded magnificently to a request for cycle and sports kit to be sent to Sierra Leone. This was organised by Roxanne Hargreaves who works for the charity Reseed. Your generosity was so overwhelming that Roxy had to take excess luggage when she delivered the clothing directly to the grateful participants.
In the past Bigfoot has supported various charities and following a discussion with Roxy, we have decided to make Reseed our chosen charity this year.
Reseed (www.reseed.org.uk) are a small organisation working in Sierra Leone. They focus on supporting sustainable livelihoods which includes different projects including micro-finance, agriculture, employability and up-skilling. After running a small pilot, Reseed has officially just launched ‘Reseed Bike Shops’ where Reseed is using experience and connections to the cycling community in Sierra Leone to support new and existing bike shops, their owners, and mechanics. Many of these bike shops are run by women, providing sustainable employment and first time opportunities.
It is estimated that each Reseed bike shop will provide sustainable livelihoods, support to an average of 6 people, including the shop manager, employees and apprentices and casual workers who use space in the shop. Beyond the tangible outcomes of the project life-cycle, having a functional bike shop and skilled mechanics in various towns across Sierra Leone will have a great impact on the wider cycling community.
It also supports a growth of cycling from Africa, starting to be reflected in the professional circuit.
Take a look at a recent Guardian article here.
We are hoping to be directly linked to this project through fundraising across the club in the coming 12 months and we will be planning bike rides and various events to support this charity.
We are looking to form a small (but effective!) committee to support our efforts. Should you be interested then please contact me, Graham Eveleigh, at membership@bigfootcc.co.uk
Watch this space for future news!
