To mark National Bike Week, volunteers joined forces to encourage and explore cheaper, healthier and greener travel options in Crewe.

As a result of this, two Crewe schools have announced a 'Cycle Amnesty' to ensure local children have access to affordable bikes ready for the summer holidays. Crewe Christian Concern, famous for their furniture recycling project, will collect any old bikes from Hungerford and Underwood West schools this Thursday, 27th June. They will use them to train adults in mechanic and maintenance skills and then sell the refurbished bikes in the regular Friday sales at affordable prices.

Rev. Rob Wykes said "CC Cycles is already training and employing adults with different abilities to enable those who could not afford bus fares or a car to get to work in a way that is good for them, the environment and their pocket. Please bring your old bikes or ring 01270 586186 to arrange a free collection".

ACT volunteers and Cheshire East staff gave out advice and cycle maps to interested passers by, while Velo Management taught people mountain biking skills.ACT chair Paul Wade noticed a strong interest in developing safer local routes. “We spoke to several nurses from Leighton Hospital. These health conscious commuters are looking to the council to use government and local funding to complete the route to one of the biggest employment sites in Crewe.” 


The motto of Crewe is 'Progress Together', and today's Bike event on the Municipal Square was a good example of that. Standing in front of the ACT stall you can see a Spanish health professional, some cycling commuters from East Timor, a church leader and the chair of the Crewe Vintage Cycling Association exchanging views on what cyclists need in Crewe.

Younger people tried mountain biking skills on the upper level and Cheshire Police marked over 20 cycles. Generous passers by gave or pledged half a dozen bikes, which were balanced by the selling of 6 machines that will help local people get to school or work in a economic, healthy and environmentally and socially friendly way.

Can't cycle, won’t cycle, no cycle? Find out more about cycling around Crewe on the municipal square this Saturday, 11am till 2pm. To celebrate National Bike Week, local people can find out more about cycling, get a map of safe local routes, try a bike and buy a discounted second hand cycle and get it, or their own machine security marked by Cheshire police. 

Active Travel Crewe, a group of local volunteers will be on hand to offer advice and guidance to anyone considering cycling. A spokesman said “With traffic congestion, fuel poverty and obesity, real challenges for Crewe, cycling is fast becoming a popular travel option. Research shows that cyclists will visit more town centre shops than drivers, and don’t have parking problems or costs, so it could also be part of the solution to regenerate the town centre.”

Crewe was the town with the second highest proportion of cyclists in the country up until the mid 80s. To celebrate those days and their opening, Christian Concern Cycles workshop has announced an amnesty for all the rusting, neglected and broken bikes in the town. You can bring them to the event, or they will collect them for free, repair them and sell as many as possible to again make Crewe a place where cycling is a popular choice of transport, for work or leisure.

CC cycles will give local people:

Opportunity to buy affordable means of transport that bring health and social benefits.

Hope for better  employment by giving people a range of engineering and retail skills, and experience of  the process of production and sales, that they need to access work.

Dignity for vulnerable people through workplace-based training programmes that develop personal management and increasing self-esteem.

Confidence in bike fixing and workplace skills and understanding that these skills are linked to earning money.