We’ve started some podcasts and you can find them in a variety of places…..we aim to get them out every few weeks or so.

Please keep your suggestions for episodes coming in as we love a good challenge!

The podcasts are inspired by;

• A Mitchell & Webb sketch that none of us can find and only dimly remember….something to do with just being good enough and not throwing the budget at fancy graphics and audio.  Doctor Who might have been mentioned.  That’s why all you hear is live and unedited as we genuinely don’t have the time or expertise….yet!
• Chain Reaction…something really nice about blurring and crossing the interviewer and interviewee roles and Louis Theroux Grounded we think brilliant as it hints at this
• All the fun chats we’ve ever had with other people….ever….we laugh a lot, we cry every now and again and really care about those we work and play with….all of whom are fabulous, interesting and awesome people.
• Other stuff that when we remember we’ll add to this list

Stefan who runs yourbikeproject.uk which has now turned into a Saturday foodbank was helping the local community by delivering boxes of food to local families on the Haringey – Hackney border

Just before the video was taken Stefan was asked what he was doing by a passer by who had a 94 year old mum living on her own, we took her details and passed on to the community leaders who will add 1 more to their list

Being so visible and a relatively unusual sight brought many smiles of puzzlement and amazement and its nice to be asked to help out

Outputs

• 11 large boxes of food delivered by 2 short cargo bike trips
• 4 miles travelled 1.6 kg of C02 avoided
• Approx 10 mins per delivery
• 67 smiles (ok we guessed at that one…..)
• 11 thank you’s including one emailed in

“Thank you to all of you for making this happen. The first but surely not the only thank you” – local resident

Outcomes 

• a positive and visible sense of community connectedness
• a positive sense of health and wellbeing (physical and mental) for Stefan who got some exercise!
• the opportunity to train local volunteers to use the cargo bike or offer as part of the local community service in the future –
• an opportunity to showcase do things positively and more sustainably

Just before 10:30am on a glorious Saturday morning, we arrive on Broadwater Farm Estate to meet workers from The Felix Project, who pull up in a van. The Felix Project collects food from supermarkets and suppliers that cannot be sold and distributes it across the capital, ensuring it reaches those who need it most. 

We’ve been working on the estate since last summer. Normally the food we collect would be offered out alongside drop-in bike sessions with young people as part of our youth-led initiative, Your Bike Project. Since lockdown began, we’ve suspended all of our usual group activities. However, we’re continuing to coordinate the weekly food deliveries on Broadwater Farm to support efforts to help the most vulnerable. 

The food arrives in crates. This week, offerings include fresh fruit, yoghurt, healthy ready meals, bread and spring onions. We lay out the crates two metres apart, pulling the freshest produce into the shade, so that people can browse at a safe distance and collect what they want.

Despite the beautiful weather, the estate is quiet. Over the course of the morning, we meet a steady stream of estate residents and staff. Some are passerbys; others have collected food on previous Saturdays and have come especially. People take food for themselves and also their friends and neighbours. They are polite and kind to us and each other, observing social distancing. Through our chats, we deepen our knowledge of the estate; who might need help and who wants to offer it.

Security staff come in clusters, cheerful and friendly. We find out that they’re not local; one woman, who took food for herself and her neighbour, travels in from Barking. 

We speak at length with one of the estate’s street cleaners who’s been working on Broadwater Farm for 17 years. Originally from Lancashire, we find out that he’s deeply committed to the people who live on the estate. He shares his experience of the lockdown, explaining he knows some of the most vulnerable residents. He hopes that some positives will come out of the situation and offers to help in any way he can. 

We also meet a resident, full of warm energy, who we discover is part of the Broadwater Farm fabric. She’s a part-time carer and volunteers for the church of reconciliation and a migrant support charity. She expresses an interest in helping us in future weeks. I have time, she tells us with a big smile.

Eventually, the food is almost all collected and we pack up. We’ll be back next Saturday and the ones after that where we hope to work with residents and staff to reach those who most need help.

Find out what we’re up to during lockdown and support our Coronavirus Appeal.

While we’ve paused our regular sessions, we’re working hard to safely provide bikes to families, neighbours and key workers during the coronavirus lockdown.

Now more than ever, cycling is an important way to deliver food and essentials to neighbours, as well as helping us feel mentally and physically better with much-needed exercise. 

Stefan, session leader and bike mechanic, has been out and about on one of the Wheely Tots cargo bikes today, helping people to keep moving on two wheels.

First stop, he delivered two balance bikes to Paulsha’s home. Paulsha’s borrowed the bikes from our kit library for her twin daughters to ride around on over the lockdown period. 

On Broadwater Farm Estate, we loaned two bikes to a Your Bike Project participant and his father. The participant has been regularly attending our Saturday afternoon sessions for young people, led by Stefan, since they started in February. During that time he’s brought his friends along to the project, fixed bikes and helped out where he can.  Though we’ve had to pause Your Bike Project sessions for now, we have an online offer ready to go.

Gloria, a Wheely Tots Trustee and manager of the awesome Redmond Community Centre in Woodberry Down, let us know she had a puncture. Stefan cycled over and helped her to fix it. She’s chuffed that she can keep exercising on her bike – and has also learnt a new skill. 

During the first week of the lockdown, we delivered five balance bikes to people’s homes, coordinated two large food deliveries from the Felix Project to residents in Broadwater Farm Estate, completed four doorstep bike repairs (including three for key workers) and provided remote guidance and advice to eleven families.  

Read more about our response to COVID-19 and our adapted offer. 

Support our Givey campaign.

Late last night I received a “no caller ID” calling so I ignored it, bound to be some sales type call….

“No Caller ID” called again….so I thought these people are persistent and ignored it again

Third Time – Answered the call.  It was the Police saying they had found our bike!!!!!

Totally amazed, in shock (in a good way this time) and when we get it back we can start to use the trailer along with the cargo bikes to do our bit to help with delivering food  and other basic necessities to people who need them

Huge thanks go out to everyone who circulated the stolen bike images, and to all those who helped in other ways!