Weymouth Up-'cycler' raises £10,000 for Weldmar
An Upcycler from Weymouth is bringing new meaning to the term by raising £10,000 for Weldmar Hospicecare
A bicycle-repair man from Weymouth's raised £10,000 pounds for Weldmar and brought new meaning to the term 'recycling'.
79 year old Danny Collins spends much of his spare time doing up old bicycles that have been donated to him and selling them on to donate to Weldmar.
Danny started the project three years ago, but this year has been his busiest yet by far, raising more than £10,000 for the Dorset charity.
Danny said:
“I suppose it all started with Covid”
“We were all in lockdown and lots of people wanted to get out on a bike. I’ve never been as busy, some weeks I’ve been working seven days, and from early in the morning until late at night. I’ve sold everything – kiddies’ bikes, bikes for teenagers, men and women.
"Off road, on road, racing bikes, and even tandems and trikes!”
In the past 3 years he says he's repaired upwards of 300 bikes to sell on.
He says he's never had a shortage of bikes, and many are dropped off at his house. Since the start of lockdown, he says he's been working seven days a week on the repairs.
Danny added:
“There was one couple in Crossways who called and said they had brand new bikes which they had used just once, but didn’t really like them. I went to collect them, and sold them on for £150 and £190 – the most I’ve ever sold a bike for. One Sunday I sold seven bikes in a day, making £400.”
Improvements Danny makes to the bikes before selling them on includes fixing punctures, replacing saddles, checking brakes and brake pads, and touching up with some paint if needed.
Matt Smith is Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Weldmar Hospicecare. He said:
“The support that Danny has given us over the years has been phenomenal and we are extremely grateful for his continued support as his bike sales have increased over the Covid period.
"The countless hours and dedication that Danny dedicates, allows us in turn to continue our vital end of life care, which at the moment is in greater demand than ever before. As our traditional ways of fundraising become even more challenging, the support from people like Danny and his clever initiative, are allowing us to keep providing care to patients and their loved ones throughout the county.”
Danny says he’s very grateful to everyone who has donated a bike:
“Without people giving me bikes, I wouldn’t have them to do up and sell on. If you’d have told me at the start of the year that we’d have raised almost £11,000, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
Bikes donated to Danny must be in reasonable condition, and not too rusty. To find out more about buying or donating a bike, please call Danny on 01305 787819.