Meet Share the Joy Fund Recipients

STORY: LONDON CYCLIST MAGAZINE WINTER 2024

Back in the Summer, London Cycling Campaign and Lime, with support from LOUD Mobility, launched the Share the Joy fund.

The aim was simple: reward projects in the capital that encourage more people to cycle and help get new projects off the ground. The grant would seek to cover core running costs, alongside expenses and the purchasing of additional equipment or space. It supports projects across three categories: health and wellbeing; accessibility and inclusion, and skills and connectivity.

In total nine grants were issued during the first window of funding, and applications for the second round are open until Sunday 10 November. We caught up with three of the early funding recipients to hear how the money has helped.

1. upCYCLE: Phil Dobson – Founder

How did upCYCLE first come about?

We started back in June 2020, in response to both the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic, where the virus had a disproportionate impact on minority groups.

The plan was to get 50 bikes and donate them to young people from underrepresented backgrounds, which we did, alongside getting some extra funding to put towards tools so I could start fixing bikes.

Since then, we’ve just grown and grown, and now work with young people in Lambeth by giving them the practical skills to fix their bike.

What was your reaction to finding out about the funding?

I was delighted when I found out that we’d got the funding. I’m a really big fan of LCC, and I remember one of the first things I did when I was starting upCYCLE was to go to a London Cycling Campaign ride run by the Wandsworth group, which was great because you also had the Black Cyclists Network come down and help with marshalling the event, so it was just a really good experience seeing everyone riding together.

Talk to us about what the funding was spent on

Over the summer we ran a lot of bike repair workshops and cycling lessons for kids, with other organisations with their own summer projects. So, two to three times a week we were running bike repair workshops or a two-hour cycling lesson. For these, the funding went directly towards paying the wages of the people running the sessions.

The funding also went towards new helmets. Every bike we give away, we give away with a helmet, so paying for them, along with lights and locks was helpful.

Impact of the funding

Being able to deliver those workshops to children was invaluable, not only to get them engaged in cycling, but also just to get them away from their phones and broaden their horizons, and potentially spark an interest in engineering for them.

I’d really recommend applying for the funding, because as great as the money is, the connection you get from it, from both LCC and the fellow funding recipients is something that’s worth the time applying alone!

2. C86erz: Verral Paul-Wallcot – Founder

How did C86erz first come about?

We started out as a bike group to help people with social anxiety during the COVID-19 lockdowns. However, on those rides we saw just how many people were homeless in London.

So, I decided that, using the group of about 30 that we had, we could use our bikes to deliver out essential items to the homeless, because even though some shops were open, those selling essential goods, in the eyes of someone sleeping on the street, weren’t, so that’s where we came in.

What was your reaction to finding out about the funding?

It was a beautiful moment. My operation is very different to a lot of other ones out there. For example, C86erz also prints its own apparel to sell to raise funds. I’d also never gone into this looking for any kind of recognition, so when I found out we were part of that first wave of funding, it was a special moment.

Talk to us about what the funding was spent on

One of the biggest problems C86erz faced was storage. I’ve been reliant on the goodwill of a lot of people, such as family members and my old school, when it comes to finding places to keep the goods.

Now, thanks to this shed we’ve been able to build, everything is now in one place: clothes, perishable and non-perishable goods, hygiene items and just anything else we’ve able to distribute. And the best thing is, this shed will last up to 40 years.

Just what kind of impact has the funding had?

Before the funding, so much stuff was being kept in my front room, so work life and personal life were all mixed together, which meant that there was no separation between the two.

Practically, without this storage there wouldn’t have been anywhere to store the bikes, so again this one influx of funding has solved so many problems.

The fact that Lime, Loud Mobility and LCC have come together in this way to help groups like mine, is just brilliant.

3. Westminster Wheels: Barnaby Stutter – Programme Manager

How did Westminster Wheels first come about?

We started at the height of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, in response to the lack of affordable bikes for key workers and high youth unemployment in the borough. Some four years on, the programme has distilled the original aims into three key goals:

• Encouraging more Westminster residents to choose cycling by providing bikes at low cost and donating free bikes to those on low incomes. We have given second life to and sold circa 3,000 unwanted bikes, over 300 of which were donated.
• Nurturing unemployed Westminster residents into roles within London’s cycle retail sector. We have provided jobs and training to over 50 previously long-term unemployed people.
• Offering excellent service to central London’s cycling community. We offer bike servicing in an area unserved by bike shops, servicing circa 2,500 bikes per year.

What was your reaction to finding out about the funding?

For us it was just pure joy. It is a difficult funding climate for many/most charitable and non-profit organisations, and Westminster Wheels is no exception. Every little (or larger) bit of funding helps in attaining our key goals.

Talk to us about what the funding was spent on.

It enabled us to monitor the progression of our alumni in their new cycle industry jobs and offer consistent training to new participants. It also gave us the opportunity to evaluate and tweak our programme with data from previous cohorts.

As someone intrinsically involved in the cycle sector for over 30 years, it makes me happy to continue to make a difference by encouraging new and younger generations to become a part of this industry.

Just what kind of impact has the funding had?

For us it had a massive impact on what we’ve been able to do. So, for anyone thinking of applying I say go for it. The process is straightforward, and with success comes both tangible benefits (namely vital funding) and the less tangible (support and wider recognition and promotion of the services offered – to individuals and the wider community).

This article was originally published in London Cyclist winter 2024, London Cycling Campaign’s exclusive member’s magazine. Join as a member today for quarterly copies of London Cyclist delivered to your door, free legal advice, discounts in independent bike shops across London, and much more…