Bike recycling initiative teaches North East children to repair not replace

A North East charity that recycles bicycles is teaching children repair skills in a bid to tackle throwaway culture.

Established in 2006, Recyke Y'Bike saves bikes from landfill by repairing and selling them on at a reasonable price.

Last year roughly 5,000 bikes were donated to the charity - almost half of which were repaired and redistributed.

Now the charity are passing on their ethos to the next generation by teaching children repair skills at workshops held in schools.

The scheme visited Byker Primary School and proved a hit with the environmentally-savvy Year 5 class.

"If somebody doesn't want to use a bike, and it is damaged, you can fix it up," one pupil said.

"If you learn how to fix them, you won't hurt the animals, because animals might eat them and get really injured," added another.

"It helps the trees and plants to not get hurt by the fossil fuels they're using in the cars," another reasoned.

The visit came amid COP26 - a fact not lost on Byker Primary PE teacher Joe Danquah.