Inmates restore 16 bikes for homeless people
Nicky MorsonA prison scheme which sees inmates refurbish hundreds of bikes has donated 16 bicycles to homeless people in the North East.
Cornerstone, a homeless charity with hubs in Bishop Auckland and Hartlepool, said many homeless people struggle to attend appointments due to poor public transport in rural areas.
The charity's communication and support lead, Nicky Morson, said the team had taken a 10-hour trip to HMP Addiewell in Scotland and met prisoners recycling bikes in the prison's onsite Bike Shed, founded in 2023.
Lawrie Warke, Addiewell's bicycle maintenance instructor, said it was "brilliant" to be able to help Cornerstone, adding the work allowed inmates to give back to communities.
He said: "Cornerstone is a great charity, with a strong ethos that fits well with what we stand for at Addiewell and what we're trying to do with our bike repair workshop.
"Homelessness usually brings with it other challenges, like a lack of personal transport, so we hope this donation helps open up opportunities for those most in need in the North East."
Nicky MorsonG W Holmes and Son, in Bishop Auckland, kindly donated their van to Cornerstone for the day, so charity staff could travel to Scotland to fetch the bikes.
Morson said it was "really lovely" to see the project and speak to the prisoners who were repairing the bikes.
"We got to meet the team, see inside the prison and meet the lads who are doing the refurbishments," she said.
"It helps with their [the inmates] development, and the donated bikes are a great way of making sure that people can get to appointments and get around County Durham."
HMP Addiewell currently has 14 prisoners working in the Bike Shed, with repaired bicylces being as far afield as Africa, as well as to local communities in Scotland.
The scheme also repairs the bikes of its employees and gives recycled bikes to people leaving custody, to support their return to work.
