Helping local people gain training and experience repairing bikes
The Commissioner’s Community Action Fund has supported the vital work being done through the Skelmersdale scheme, helping deliver training which has seen people who may have been vulnerable, with nothing else to do or potentially could have ended up involved in criminality, gain experience with some going already going on to find work.
The Bike Works is part of a community enterprise where people in the Skelmersdale area can gain new skills, build confidence and make themselves more employable.
Also operating a shop which sells affordable bikes to the community and wider afield, the Commissioner visited to see first-hand how the project was running and meet some people taking part.
Almost £2500 was granted to the project, money which was recovered from criminals via Proceeds of Crime.He said:
“It has been really interesting to hear the difference that this project has made and it’s exactly what the Community Action Fund is all about, supporting projects which address the needs of people across Lancashire and meet my Police and Crime Plan priorities.
“Being able to utilise the Proceeds of Crime to support projects like this is also fantastic and means that these funding are going back into the county and having a positive impact in our communities.
“This once again highlights the impact that these small grants can have – they provide real value for money and make a big difference across Lancashire.”
Bike Works Project Leader, Colin Southern said “this is a fantastic donation from the Police Commissioner, our project continues to go from strength to strength and with this funding it will certainly help our brilliant community bike project here in Skelmersdale to progress. More importantly, because of this donation we have been able to build a training area making it more accessible to the community especially to our participants with physical disabilities”.
