Charity project helping people with disabilities in Ipswich gets new roof
The Green Bike Project is expanding
A local disability charity is celebrating after work to build a new workshop for one of its projects reached a new milestone.
A rooftop has gone up on a new workshop for Ipswich's Green Bike Project, run by the Genesis Orwell Mencap charity.
The project provides valuable work experience to adults with learning disabilities, who are taught how to repair bicycles.
A topping out ceremony was held earlier this month, to mark the completion of the roof.
Rob Hart, Chief Executive of Genesis Orwell Mencap, said:
“The progress has been phenomenal.
“It’s been fantastic to see how well everyone engages with our services users, who are very excited to get into the new workshop.
"When it is fully functioning will be able to have up to 10 customers a day. We're currently at 4 number. So it's quite an increase in number of customers that we can then support."
Once renovated, the bicycles are sold for cheaper, helping to prevent waste and encouraging people to cycle in the town.
The project has benefited, among others, refugees who have recently settled in Ipswich, who have been able to move around better, and has even helped some find jobs.
The new workshop is being built with the help of other businesses and the community.
That includes Neil Pryke, Contracts Manager at SEH French, who said:
“This project is a great example of what can be achieved when a community comes together.
“The new workshop is looking brilliant and once complete it’ll help the charity support even more people.”
Progress on the project has been made possible by the support of companies involved and donations to the charity.
But Greatest Hits Radio's been told approximately £80,000 to £100,000 in additional funding is still needed to complete the project.
"We're looking for more donations of bikes to be coming in.
"Within the next two or three weeks, we'll have a wind and watertight frame building ready to go. We just then need to kit out the internals of it. So we're we're a few pounds short, being able to do that and making it fully functioning."
People who’d like to support the project can find more information on the charity's website.