It’s been a wee while cooking – but it’s here! Say hello to the brand new Roskill Bike Kitchen, which launches on Saturday 20 August with the first monthly Bike Fix Day (10-3) and invites anyone with mechanical skills to come along and help turn bits and bobs into working bikes.
There’s no such thing as too many cooks at the Roskill Bike Kitchen – in fact, you might say… many hands make bike work! This project brings the beloved Bikes for Refugees programme to a new home in Mt Roskill/ Puketapapa – and combines forces with an existing programme at RYZ: Roskill Youth Zone, whose bike workshops for youth will continue alongside the new monthly Saturday fix-it days.
It’s the perfect combo – greater proximity to the community with the highest concentration of freshly resettled new New Zealanders, tapping into a growing young population of kids with bike skills and mechanical know-how, and handy to the brand new Roskill Safe Streets network.
The shared goals form a virtuous cycle:
- recovering and fixing up old bikes (sourced variously from the Community Recycling Network, individual donations, and the existing stock from Bikes for Refugees)
- to put them into the hands of local families and former refugees in need of transport
- while also teaching bike DIY skills and cycling skills workshops, so that everyone is empowered to teach others how to ride and fix bikes.
This Saturday’s focus is on learning how to ‘cook’ a bicycle so it is fit for purpose. It runs between 10am and 3pm, but drop in for as little or as long as you fancy. There are tools on site, but BYO if you like (you might want to mark them so you can find them at home time).
Says Richard Barter, who’s coordinating the project with a whole bunch of great people:
It’s about having fun, learning, and getting to know one another. Please feel free to come along for as much time as you are able. You are welcome to just watch, listen and learn – don’t feel under pressure to perform.
There will be a pot-luck lunch, with some food provided, but by all means bring something to share. Contact Susan about helping with lunch, and you can find out more about the Bike Kitchen via the Facebook page, or contact Richard directly at 021 277 1213 or richard@path.net.nz.
And here’s an outline of the bike triage process that will happen on the day…
The Roskill Bike Kitchen really is a fabulous joint effort, and will be such a boon to the neighbourhood.
The Roskill Bike Kitchen is a partnership between the Earth Action Trust, the Global Lighthouse Youth Missions Puketapapa, Roskill Youth Zone and PATH (Puketapapa Active Transport Haven), without whom this project would not have been possible. We would also like to acknowledge the lovely support of the Puketapapa Local Board, Auckland Transport, Auckland Council Waste Minimisation Team, Sheppard Cycles and Tradetech Limited, plus all the wonderful volunteers who have helped out to date.
