UPDATE Thank you so much for all your pledges, they make a huge difference. We've started work on the children's bikes already:

We are Bicycle Links, a social enterprise in Norwich. We want to run a new project with all the children's bikes that get donated to us. There are lots of children living in low income families that can't afford bikes - we'd like to help them out. Every child should have a bike! 

We already have a large stock of bikes waiting to be recycled. All they need is a bit of mechanical work, a few new parts and a spruce up, a final safety check and then they're good to go.  Our plan is to refurbish them and then give them to disadvantaged families and children in care. 

Our lovely team of volunteers will work on the bikes with instruction from our staff tutors.

Who will get the bikes? 

We have existing contacts with Children's Services and other local agencies that support disadvantaged families and children in care. They will make requests to us for bikes.

What about helmets?

Each bike will be supplied with a new helmet and, for older children, also a lock and set of lights.  Because we already run a shop we can buy these at discount prices for our project.

Why do we need funding?

We need to pay qualified staff, both to run the volunteer workshops and to check each bike and make sure it's safe to ride. We also have to pay for workshop space and utility bills. Finally we need spare parts for the bikes, and to pay for the new accessories.

What do we hope to achieve?

Do you remember your first bike? Having a bike is such an important part of childhood, and it's a free, fun activity for the whole family.  But bicycles are a big expense for parents who are low paid or unemployed, and we want to ensure that their children don't miss out.

Lots of children's bikes are no longer wanted once the child grows out of it or something goes wrong that needs fixing. Recycling them makes such a lot of sense. The new owners will love the bikes, our volunteers get skills and satisfaction working on the bikes, and the bikes get re-used instead of going to the 'tip'. Three achievements in one project!

Some background information about us:

Bicycle Links CIC is a social enterprise, set up in 2011. Our business model is to run a commercial shop, which keeps the enterprise going year in, year out, and then to fit charitable projects alongside. 

Over the years we have run over a dozen projects with grant funding, sponsorship or crowdfunding, or a mixture of the three. To every project Bicycle Links contributes management time, staff skills and access to tools and materials.

Our current projects are:

• CycleLink discount scheme for people referred by the Jobcentre, with sponsorship from Greater Anglia Trains;
• Welcome Wheels, bikes for refugees and asylum seekers in Norfolk, currently funded by Norfolk County Council and crowdfunding;
• Free Bikes for Kids!

More information about us and our sales and repair services is on our website  www.bicyclelinks.org.uk