About Us
REUSE. REPAIR. RIDE.
Our History
We have been running regular open access workshop sessions in Hastings, East Sussex, since 2012. We're based in the former lifeguard stores, Lower Promenade, in front of Warrior Square.
We have opened every week (bar pandemics, holidays and sabaticals) for have an average of 15 users per week during the winter, and 25 per week in the summer.
We have a flow through of around 20-30 bikes per month over the year, and work with a wide spectrum of the local community including refugees and homeless users of The Seaview Project and other support projects.
Our People
We are a Community Interest Company, with a core of volunteers who keep the project running. New volunteers are always welcome, as are any donations of bikes or bike bits.
As well as the weekly bike kitchen sessions we also run bike maintenance sessions, social rides, bike events and can provide a Dr Bike service to organisations.
The value of the volunteer hours within the bike workshop sessions is estimated at over £6000 per year.
Our Workshop
Our workshop has shop quality Park Tool and Pedro’s tool kits, several Feedback Sports pro work-stands, and lots of boxes of recycled spare parts. We received a National Lottery grant for the tool and equipment set up. We supply and stock, at cost, basic brake blocks and cables, but we try and reuse everything else.
The building is leased to us from Hastings Borough Council and we're working to improve the space - there are a number of challenges which we have to deal with... Find out more about our building issues and help us figure out how to fix them on our research page here.
Rossana Leall, CEO - The Refugee Buddy Project"We have had a working relationship with Hastings Bike Project for 7 years. Many of our participants have benefitted from the wonderful one to one customised support given by the team. Many of our participants have been able to experience Hastings town on their bikes in an independent and sustainable way and the impact this has had on rebuilding their lives in their new town is immeasurable."