the Sky’s the limit on a bike!

Amazing experience: our young people take a break on a seaside cycle

By Lou, New Project Developer - Bike Project

It has been a real joy setting up the Bike Project at KRAN. The key and catalyst was finding incredible people with the skills, enthusiasm and big heart to make it work.

Ziggy and his team from The Bike Shed Kent (in Margate) are integral to the project. It would be impossible without them and their inexhaustible support, as well as everyone who has donated bikes - and funds - to make it happen.

The donated bikes are taken in by The Bike Shed and if needed, repaired and made safe/road worthy. They are then distributed to our young people (there is a waiting list).

Working with The Bike Shed, we very quickly enjoyed some amazing experiences. I loved seeing Ziggy teach some Afghan boys who were just beginning to learn more English. They could show off their practical skills and connect with others in a way that transcended the language barriers they faced.

On the same day, a big group went for a bike ride led by Colin, of Cols Kent Bike Tours - another great partner. One of our young people on that ride was a very studious, serious young man. I always got the impression he had had to grow up quickly and could be quite hard on himself.

The sense of joy on his face and seeing him weave around the other cyclists, pushing himself and circling back to the group was wonderful to see. He had been having a particularly difficult time in his personal life and when we were able to give him a bike at the end to take home, he looked his age again. 

At that same event, we knew that one of the young women couldn’t ride a bike and so the team supported her in learning. She was eager and listened carefully to our advice. Her attitude was amazing and she just wouldn’t give up.

At the end of the hour, when the others were cycling back, she could (wobbly) ride a bike. They all congratulated her and said how surprised they were to see how quickly she’d learnt. We were able to give her another hour's training and then we gave her a bike, which enabled her to take an off-road bike path from her house to school.

Over the last two years we have taught three young women to ride bikes who were all restricted in their countries due to gender discrimination. The sense of achievement and freedom was palpable. Another favourite day was taking the UASC Women’s Circle in Thanet for a bike ride. Many of the young women came from Vietnam, which has a strong cycling culture. They loved it! 

In short, bikes mean different things to different young people. For some, it’s a practical distraction, a sense of freedom and autonomy. For others, it's the pure joy of riding, or the practical psychological security of having free transportation. And for others - the young women - it’s feeling in their body that they are in a more equal society where they can have similar freedoms to men.

From September 2023 to the end of November 2024, we have given out 51 bikes and have provided numerous helmets, lights and locks.

Please support Pedal Power: KRAN’S Christmas Bike Appeal by donating second-hand road, mountain or hybrid bikes in adult or young adult sizes. These can be left at:

The Bike Shed Kent, 71 Canterbury Rd, Westbrook, Margate CT9 5AS. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm (closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day).

Or, please email laura@kran.org.uk.

Donations of money to buy bike equipment will also be gratefully received.