At a time when the
price of fuel at the petrol pumps is creeping ever higher Paul Smith, who runs Towy
Valley Cycles in Bethlehem, hopes his ‘Recycle the Valley’ scheme will
encourage more of us to hit the saddle as an environmentally friendly and cost
effective alternative.
Paul was granted SDF
funding last year to support his ‘Recycle the Valley’ project, repairing old
bikes to give them a new lease of life for a new owner, as well as providing
training to give cyclists the knowledge to carry out their own bike repairs.
The initiative has
grown from strength to strength and Paul’s work has seen him carry out bike
repair training to pupils at a number of local primary schools and
organisations, as well as donating bikes to his nearby YMCA and other
worthwhile causes. In fact, the scheme has proven so popular that Paul is now
looking to roll it out across the National Park, making the ‘Recycle the
Valley’ scheme a shining example of another SDF success story.
Paul explained: “I
would not have been able to do all of this without the support of the
Sustainable Development Fund.
“It has been
excellent and it has really helped it take off. In fact, it’s pushed my
business in a different direction I had never expected it to go. Originally we
were all about bike hire and repair, but we’re doing a lot more training now.
People really appreciate being able to repair their own bikes.”
Cllr Evan Morgan,
Chairman of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development
Fund, said: “Since the SDF began in 2000 the National Park Authority has
awarded grants totalling more than £2.6 million providing financial and
practical support for projects in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
“The ‘Recycle the
Valley’ scheme has helped Paul’s business head in a new direction that is
benefitting his local community, and it shows just what support from the SDF
can do to lift a project like this to a whole new level.”
The SDF is a Welsh Assembly
funded grant administered by the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority. The
SDF encourages National Park communities and individuals to put forward
their ideas that can be turned into practical sustainable solutions to make a
substantial difference in the areas of climate change mitigation and reducing
our ecological footprint. All proposals have to demonstrate that they can
contribute to achieving a low carbon environment by implementing sustainable
ways of living and regenerating their local communities. Between 2000 and
2012, with funding from WAG, the SDF has awarded grants totalling £2.6million
to 296 projects across the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. This seed corn
funding has brought in match funding for National Park communities of
£8.3million.
If you have a project
or event that you think would be worthy of funding support from the SDF,
contact Helen Roderick or Ceri Bevan on 01874 620471 to discuss how we could
help or visit www.breconbeacons.org for further
information.
For more information
about the ‘Recycle the Valley’ scheme, contact Paul Smith directly on
07576431960 or email here.
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