Aylesbury prisoners revamp bikes to support hospice

Bikes fixed up by prisoners in Aylesbury are sold at hospice reuse sites in High Wycombe and Aston Clinton

A scheme where prisoners refurbish bikes to raise money for charity has proved so successful that it is set to expand.

Inmates at HMP Aylesbury revamp the old bicycles, which are then sold at reuse sites run by South Bucks Hospice.

The hospice and prison are appealing to people who get a new bike for Christmas to donate their old one.

Thomas, who has been involved in the project, said it "keeps me out of the cell and active".

He has been helping to fix up bikes for three months and said: "I have learnt a lot since I have been here, and it feels good to be helping a charity."

'Popular project'

Currently, 10 prisoners are part of the scheme but the workshop capacity is going to expand to 16.

Philip Abayateye, workshop instructor at HMP Aylesbury said it was "a very popular project within the prison".

Mr Abayateye said the bike scheme gave men in the prison "a daily workflow" which helped them "to maintain a consistent work routine in custody".

"Our prisoners love the idea of assisting the community while gaining valuable skills," he added.

The bike workshop gives prisoners at HMP Aylesbury "a daily workflow"

Penny Peacock, manager at the Aston Clinton reuse site, said the bikes tend to fly off the shelves.

"As soon as we put a notice out to say we have bikes available, they are snapped up the same day.

"It's a great way to make quality bikes affordable for families," she said.

South Bucks Hospice CEO Jackie Ward recently visited the workshop and said "it is a great community initiative".

"We are very proud of the scheme. It is good for everyone involved including our patients, who benefit from the money raised.

We are delighted we can now create even more quality bikes for our community," she said.