The Bike Project: Imagine living on £36 a week. It's enough for food, perhaps, but what about travel? If you need a new pair of shoes, what sacrifices will you have to make? These hard choices are the daily reality of a refugee in London. Bikes to the Rescue! We take second-hand bikes, fix them up and donate them to refugees and asylum-seekers. Why? One of our bikes can save a refugee £21 a week in bus fares. Having fled persecution and atrocity in their homeland, a bike helps them access food banks, legal advice, healthcare, education and more.

Hi, I'm Claire... I cycle every day in London and I love being on my bike. I think it's the best feeling to be independent, self-sufficient, using your own energy & not adding to already sky-high levels of pollution whilst avoiding the tube.

I'm really looking forward to taking part in Ride London at the end of July. I've been in London for 6 years but I'm moving to Bristol in August so it will be a momentous occasion for me to cycle through the traffic-free streets of London the weekend before I move. I've never cycled anywhere near 100 miles before and I'm really quite scared that I won't be able to get up those hills or keep going towards the end.

I am a Doctor currently working in East London in the NHS, and I have previously worked for Doctors of the World, a healthcare charity supporting undocumented migrants, so I am quite familiar with providing a service to refugee & asylum seekers. This time, however, I’m very happy to be fundraising for The Bike Project as I believe there are many ways to create a happy & fulfilling life than providing healthcare; allowing independence and freedom in the form of a bicycle has got to be one of them.

I think The Bike Project is an absolutely brilliant charity. The relatively simple gift of a bicycle can be absolute life-line. A few weeks ago, at the workshop in Deptford, I witnessed a family of four come to The Bike Project – there was a correctly-sized bike, helmet, and small kit-bag for Mum, Dad and the two children. The kids (aged about 6 and 9 years old) had such beaming smiles as they went for a test-ride down the lane. On Sunday 29th July, I’ll be channelling their excitement and the knowledge that all the funds raised are going to an excellent cause when I’m on my final few miles of Ride London... 

Please give generously.