North East Charity, Recyke y’Bike, uses the power of two wheels to help people get around in a healthy, affordable and environmentally friendly way.
Based in Byker and with a shop in Durham, Recyke y’Bike was founded in 2006 and refurbishes unwanted or abandoned bikes, selling some on to cover costs but giving the majority away to people unable to afford to buy one.
They also work with schools and community groups to provide bikes and mechanical training to encourage more people to cycle and take care of their bikes.
All of this requires detailed organisation and an office set-up. The charity was in great need of a multi-functional printer, scanner and copier, which has now been provided at no cost by office technology company, SOS Group.
Recyke y’Bike general manager, Sara Newson, says: “We really appreciate this helping hand from SOS Group.
“We’re trying to reduce our use of paper but there are several important paper forms that we use in large numbers, including the checklists that all our mechanics complete when they work on a bike.
“We’d been muddling along with a couple of old printers that were highly temperamental and inefficient. This new device will enable us to print quickly and efficiently, saving us time and money.”
Team Valley-based SOS Group provides office technology support for clients ranging from local start-ups to the IAAF World Athletics Championships. They pride themselves on their community involvement and have donated more than £250,000 to support charities, talented young individuals and community organisations since they set out in business.
In 2020 they were proud to receive Community Business of The Year at the Federation of Small Business Awards in recognition of their work.
Andrew Skelton, SOS Group Director, explains: “For those on low incomes, we know how much a bike can mean. It’s an independent means of transport and that can make a huge difference in terms of employment prospects alone.
“Recyke y’Bike does so much good from both a community and environmental perspective and we’re extremely proud to support them.”
SOS Group supplies and maintains leading brand digital office equipment. As well as offering a full range of office management services, including unified communications, IT support, document management, cost consultation and managed print services.