Community effort sees eight children receive refurbished bikes, new helmets
Natasha Thomson scratches away at weathered handlebars with a wire brush to reveal like-new silver.
Around her are seven other bicycles ranging in colour and size. Two rest on a blue tarp nearby where a man shows two young children how to tighten a chain, check tire pressure and explains the age-old adage of “righty tightey, lefty loosey,” as he instructs the boys on how to spin a wrench to lower the seat.
This was all part of a community-wide initiative spearheaded by Prince Albert’s relatively new Repair Café to help refurbish and donate a handful of bicycles to eight children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Prince Albert program.
The lightly used bikes were originally destined to hit the city auction yards but generously donated by the City and police department. The minor repairs — ranging from brake lines to flat tires — were being completed Saturday by volunteers at the monthly event at the Margo Fournier Centre. The parts needed to fix the bicycles were donated by Gene’s Sports.