Last week, students on the Team Enterprise course at Kidderminster College, were invited by the Jole Rider charity to Hullavington Barracks in Wiltshire to load bikes they had refurbished onto a container lorry ready to be transported to The Gambia, where they will be distributed to African School Children.

The 2nd year students have spent the last 20 weeks working in partnership with local bike recycling company Spokes, to refurbish 12 bikes for the Jole Rider, Bikes4Africa project.  Many African students have to walk 10 miles, or even further - in searing heat - to get to their nearest secondary school.  Bikes4Africa provide quality, refurbished bikes to African secondary schools which are then allocated by teachers to children with the longest walks to school.  In fact, the 12 bikes refurbished by college students are being sent directly to a school highlighted by the Gambian Minister for Education.

During their trip to the Barracks, the students presented a cheque to Gambian representative, Saidu Gbla to cover the cost of purchasing and maintaining an additional two bikes for a year.  The money was raised through the student’s own charitable initiative ‘Rock the Enterprise’.

Team Enterprise Course Tutor, Jan Deaden said: “The trip to Hullavington was a fantastic experience for everyone involved, from precision timing, team work and coordinating a small team of volunteers, the students loaded over 300 bikes and accessories into a container lorry that was being driven to Gambia later that night.

“Bikes4Africa is such a worthwhile cause and gives our students a real sense of purpose in their work.”