Dreambuilders make bike wheels go round

Old, damaged and unwanted bicycles are being given a new lease of life in an innovative project.

Burekup resident Glenn Cawood and a group of friends from the Dreambuilders Church are refurbishing donated bikes to give to children and teenagers unable to afford one.

"We were just chatting one day and realised there are a lot of single mums with children that don't have a lot," Mr Cawood said.

"What we are trying to achieve is putting a smile on a kid's face who might be going through a hard time.

"This is something I've done before in Port Hedland and it worked, so I thought I would try it again.

"We have had a great response with heaps of donations from the public."

The project began earlier this year - with plans to keep it going - and many bikes have already been distributed.

Mr Cawood has about 20 refurbished bikes "ready to go".

A further 20-30 more bikes are available and ready to be worked on.

"In Australia, people probably take a bike for granted," he said.

"A lot of the time, a bike just has a flat tyre and it gets left in the shed and abandoned."

The group waits until it has enough bikes to be refurbished and then spends an afternoon working to fix them.

Mr Cawood hoped to eventually expand the project to become more than just giving a bike to somebody in need.

"We hope to set up a support program to teach people how to fix the bikes and also provide some positive male role models," he said.

The group is accepting donations of bikes in any condition to help the project expand.

Individuals or groups wishing to be involved can contact Glenn Cawood via Facebook.

"A lot of the time, a bike just has a flat tyre and it gets left in the shed and abandoned" - Glenn Cawood