Monty's Bike Hub

  • Posted on: 20 November 2017
  • By: Carolyn Ireland
Monty's Bike Hub collage

Monty’s Bike Hub is a social enterprise based at Monty’s Community Hub, Southampton, developing various cycling-related activities for local children and adults.

Context

Monty’s Community Hub is a charity run mainly by volunteers in Montague Avenue, Southampton which serves the local neighbourhoods of Sholing and Thornhill. It is a space where people in the community “can meet up, share life, get active, make new friends, learn new skills, improve job prospects, or get help and advice.”

 

Supported by Southampton City Council and working with local volunteers and charities, Monty’s Bike Hub runs a range of cycling-related groups, sessions and activities- many with a specific focus on engaging children and young people. These compliment other regular youth activities run by the Community Hub such as weekly youth clubs, toddler groups and homework clubs.

 

Activities

  • Bike workshop
    • Workshop use is free, there is just a small charge for parts
    • Repair stands plus all the tools you need for basic bike maintenance are available
    • Mend or maintain your own bike with supervision from experienced bike mechanics
    • If you don't know how to mend your bike, the volunteers will help you learn
    • Adult workshop every Wednesday evening; youth workshop every Thursday evening
  • Family cycle skills
    • Activities to help build cycling confidence – e.g. ‘Bikagility’ and ‘Ditch the Stabilisers’
  • Bicycle recycling
    • MBH collects unwanted secondhand bikes
    • Donated bikes are repaired for re-use or stripped for parts if beyond repair
    • Recycled bikes are sold at reasonable prices to the local community
    • Recycled bikes are also provided on cheap monthly loans for jobseekers to help them into employment
  • Bicycle repair service
    • Bike servicing is available on a flexible pricing structure for those who cannot make the free drop-in sessions or if the bike cannot be mended in the workshop
  • Led youth rides
    • The first of Monty’s led rides for children took place in July 2017 with the “Tour de Sholing”- a 2 stage ride through trails in the area local to the Community Hub.