Unwanted Wick bikes heading to African children

SOME of the poorest children in Africa have been given the chance to get on the saddle of bikes that are no longer needed by youngsters in Wick.

Seventeen bikes collected by Wick Rotary Club are being sent to the continent as part of the club’s link-up with the Margaret Carey Foundation.

Rotarian Sandy Manson said members were delighted with the response to their appeal for unwanted bicycles in Caithness that could be used somewhere else in the world.

"The reason behind supporting this charity is that we are aware that a lot of local children get new bikes for Christmas," he said.

"Instead of throwing the old ones away, we asked if they could donate them so kids in Africa without bikes could use them and so make a big difference to their lives."

St John’s Church in Moray Street was used as a depot in Wick for parents and kids to donate old bicycles they no longer required.

The bikes were then transported by haulage firm D. Steven and Son to the charity based in North Yorkshire who then enlisted the help of young offenders and prisoners based at four prisons in England to help refurbish the bikes before they were sent out to Africa.