21st February 2022
Sanctuary
A Worcester homelessness hostel is launching an innovative new bike maintenance project aiming to help residents stay mobile and develop new skills.
The project at St Paul’s Hostel, in Tallow Hill, will teach residents how to maintain and repair their own bikes and even gain qualifications through formal training, as well as providing new storage areas and equipment.
It will also benefit the wider community, with plans for residents to hold bike maintenance and security marking sessions open to the public.
Housing provider Sanctuary is supporting the project through its community investment programme, while the initiative has also received donations from Worcestershire County Council through its Crowdfund Worcestershire fund and Thursfields Solicitors Worcester, which chose St Paul’s as its charity of the year for 2021/22.
Members of the public have also supported the project through a successful online crowdfunding campaign.
Annamarie Balram, fundraising manager at St Paul’s, said: “Our aim is to develop a project that supports people experiencing homelessness to maintain their bikes and increase their skills as part of their journey or recovery.
“We also want to engage the local community, enabling them to come to us for bike repairs and security marking and further breaking down the barriers and perceptions that often surround homelessness.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has backed our fundraising campaign and we’re really looking forward to officially launching the project in the coming months.”
Joe Leighton, Sanctuary’s community investment officer, added: “We believe that everyone should have a safe and secure place to live, and we’re delighted to be supporting St Paul’s, which does such valuable work for people in Worcester who are experiencing homelessness.
“This should be a fantastic project that delivers real, lasting benefits for the residents involved as well as a great service for the local community.”
