Low Carbon Louth has been awarded a Together Fund Grant of £7041 to support people in transport poverty. The funding which has been distributed by Active Lincolnshire on behalf of Sport England, will provide recipients in Louth, Skegness and Mablethorpe with access to free bikes donated through a recycling scheme, as well as to safety equipment, cycle training and riding opportunities.

The project is part of the Wheels for Life Scheme, a new county wide bike recycling scheme supported by Active Lincolnshire and a network of partners. Wheels for Life will rehome unwanted and scrap bicycles across Lincolnshire, refurbishing them before providing them to the people that need them most. The scheme will be operated by community groups and volunteers in local hubs across the county.

The local hubs will provide people in need with a suitable bike that has been refurbished by their trained volunteers and overseen by the hubs qualified bike mechanic. Recipients will receive guidance on safe cycling and any appropriate training to ensure they’re safe to cycle in a 1:1 or group session. There will be opportunities to learn basic cycle maintenance and free bike health checks will be available at set intervals. Local led rides will be delivered to enable individuals to gain further confidence, working with Sustrans, Dr. Bike, Bikeability and existing Breeze ride programmes as well as creating new rides where needed.

Low Carbon Louth (LCL) are a registered C.I.O. who take practical action to encourage a reduction in carbon emissions in their community. They operate a community composting scheme, manage public access food growing gardens and promote cycling through bike repair events and on road training. They have have received requests for free bikes from low income families and ethnically diverse community, especially refugee residents, so were keen to be part of the Wheels for Life scheme, and develop local hubs in East Lindsey.

Low Carbon Louth will support 100 people to access cycling through the project, helping to increase their levels of physical activity, allowing them to learn how to cycle safely and be given the opportunity to develop social connections by taking part in group rides.

Find out more about the other programmes that the Together Fund is supporting in Lincolnshire here.