Salisbury-based social enterprise Re-Cycles is celebrating a significant milestone after its volunteer bike technician Stephen Vokuhl successfully cleaned and renovated his 300th bike since joining the team 15 months ago.
Stephen, who is part of the Salvation Army employment plus programme, is using his skills to bring new life to donated bikes while learning customer handling techniques that will hopefully equip him for future employment in the retail sector.
The enterprise is run by Salisbury Salvation Army on Salt lane and has proved popular with people looking for a good value bike or a place to donate their no longer used model.
“We sell around six bikes a week and our forecourt is always busy with people browsing through our stock to see if something catches their eye for themselves or perhaps a young person in the family,” said Salvation Army captain, Martin Davison. “Stephen has really helped us establish this enterprise, which is helping fund our work in the Salisbury community.”
Stephen added: “I like chatting to customers and telling them what I have done to each bike.”
The Salvation Army has six Re- Cycles centres across the UK – Salisbury, which opened in 2021, is the newest of these. Each centre is run by volunteers who give their time and skills to transform pre-loved machines into road-tested models, ready to ride away.
Re-Cycles is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 2pm each week. Bikes can be purchased or donated at Salisbury Salvation Army’s Salt Lane Church and Community Hub.