Scouts from 1st Sunningdale have turned a lockdown initiative into a successful fundraiser that supports people of all ages to get on their bikes – all while supporting Scouting locally.
The Sunningdale Bike Sale was founded in 2020 as an enterprising way for the Scouts to develop a fundraising activity within Covid restrictions and has gone onto become a highly anticipated part of village life.
The entrepreneurial group started accepting donations of used bikes from the local community as a way of encouraging cycling as a healthy activity during lockdown. The bikes were refurbished and then sold online back to those in the Sunningdale area.
Since then, over 1,000 bikes have been processed, refurbished, and re-sold with buyers from across Berkshire – and even into neighbouring Surrey. With the cost of living remaining an important consideration for families and households, the sale now delivers multiple benefits, from low-cost commuting for workers and students, to accessible ways for young people to learn how to ride.
The sale has become an established way for families to acquire bikes for young people before giving them back when they have been outgrown, ready to be repurposed for their next owner.
Group spokesperson Christian Leigh said: “In the days before Covid, we used to sell bikes at a fete near our Scout hut and they were a reasonable fundraiser. During Covid, we had the idea of selling them online, since cycling was one of the permitted activities during lockdown; it worked well and since then we’ve run three per year, growing in popularity each time. We’ve recently accepted our 1,000th bike, which has been quite an achievement in both fundraising, and also the re-use of bikes and helping the local community.”
The scheme is also helping to support key societal issues like sustainability, cost of living, and wellbeing by encouraging people to take up cycling using repurposed bikes. The demand covers a broad age spectrum from young people using balance bikes all the way up to working adults.
“We’ve seen a lot of cost of living-led enquiries, and a recent uptick in adult bikes being sold as well,” explains Christian. “We have had enquiries from Slough, Maidenhead, and other adjacent areas, including people working at schools and hospitals looking for affordable transport for commuting, and students from Royal Holloway, for instance. Occasionally, we get decent quality bikes that we can also sell on for better prices, and people who are more environmentally conscious looking to cycle instead of using a car.”
The next sale is due to begin on 9 July, five years on from its inception, with up to 50 bikes set to become available. The group has raised around £25,000 with three sales per year, with funds set to transform 1st Sunningdale’s dated Scout hut for the benefit of its youth members, many of whom get involved in the process.
“Most of the repair work is carried out by professionals, who are more mechanically minded, including an ex cycling pro who lives locally,” explains Christian. “Young people do get involved in the sales, cataloguing and cleaning, as well as preparation and admin for the website – typically the older ones, the Explorers. But it’s a group effort and everyone in the area knows about it. There’s chatter, and excitement, and something that ultimately benefits our entire community.”