Words and pics from Abbey Primary School
In an effort to support local refugees, Abbey Primary School are getting involved in ‘The Bike Project’ – to help displaced people coming to Birmingham with travel around the city.
‘The Bike Project’ takes second hand bikes in any condition, fixes them, and donates them to refugees and asylum seekers in Birmingham and London. According to their website, over 9,600 bikes have been donated so far.
Children at The Abbey have been learning about the plight of displaced people around the world and are reaching out to the local community to help them help others through ‘The Bike Project’.
Rebecca Lonergan, a teacher at Abbey Primary School, said: “We are very proud to be a School of Sanctuary and are always looking for new ways we can help support and show solidarity with refugees.
“We have been lucky to meet lots of people with first hand, lived experience of the asylum process and learn about the many issues they face, so when our Year 6 children heard about the charity ‘The Bike Project’ we knew straight away that this was something we wanted to support.
“Life for refugees in the UK can be very hard. Having to learn a new language and culture far from family and friends after fleeing for safety can lead to mental health issues. Alongside this, having to live on less than £6 a day whilst not having the right to work leads to further struggles and isolation.
“The gift of a bike provides free travel, a chance to meet new people and become part of a community, and boosts physical and mental health.”
The Abbey will be opening its doors all day on Friday 17 June, asking anyone with a bike to donate to drop it off at the school.
Rebecca added: “We are aiming to collect 50 bikes and we need our generous local community to help! Year 6 children at The Abbey will be hosting a pop-up donation point on Friday 17 June, from 8:30am to 3pm.
“We will be taking donations of any old bikes – they do not need to be in working order. Bikes can be any size (including children’s bikes)”.
If you can donate a bike to The Abbey, as part of ‘The Bike Project’, they can be dropped during the day on Friday 17 June at: Abbey Catholic Primary School, Sutton Road, Erdington, B23 6QL
If you have any queries or would like to drop a bike at a different time, please contact [email protected]