Each year thousands of abandoned bikes pass through the hands of British Transport Police (BTP). Abandoned bikes left at railway stations in Manchester and Cheshire are being donated to charity thanks to BTP PCSO Thomas Gilmour. He’s based at Manchester Piccadilly.
Every abandoned bike is examined with a UV torch by PCSO Gilmour and colleagues, and checked against the BikeRegister database. When the bikes cannot be traced they are kept for 90 days and then, thanks to PSCO Gilmour, who has set up agreements with Network Rail at Manchester Piccadilly and the train operator Avanti West Coast at Macclesfield station, they are donated to the Staffordshire-based charity, CycleofGood.
The bikes are shipped to Blantyre in Malawi to Beebikes Africa, where they are refurbished by local workers – providing them with jobs and training – before being sold on. If the bikes aren’t sold, they are intead recycled – the inner tubes are transformed into wallets and phone cases by tailors employed by the charity. The products are then sold via the charity’s website. The money generated builds schools in Malawi and provides paid employment for the people who refurbish the bike and make the wallets.
PCSO Gilmour, pictured outside Piccadilly, said: “We get hundreds of bikes left unclaimed at stations – some of these are in perfect working order. We do a thorough check of the bike to try to trace the owner and if that fails we hang onto it for 90 days and continue to check any late reports. When all attempts to reunite the bike with its owner have been exhausted then we contact CycleofGood who turn the unwanted into a valuable resource.
“The benefits of the scheme are twofold – the unwanted bike and its parts are recycled and not trashed plus it provides opportunities and income for people in Malawi.”
About BikeRegister
BTP reminds cyclists that they should make sure your bike is security marked and registered with BikeRegister. BTP runs regular bike marking events at stations where commuters can get their bikes marked and registered for free. BikeChecker meanwhile is a free service for people buying a second-hand bike, which lets you check that the bike is not listed as stolen on the BikeRegister database.
