On 25 March Migraine Ireland held a cycling event in Wicklow in aid of their organisation. Frontline Make Change’s social enterprise – Frontline Bikes – provided a sponsorship prize of a Frontline branded bike – worth €900 – for the event.
The 50-100km cycle takes in the beautiful countryside of Blessington, continuing to Kildare, with a stop at the Japanese Gardens and is organised to raise funds for those who live with the neurological condition of migraine headaches.
The annual cycle is open to beginners and seasoned cyclists and this year’s guest of honour at the event was cycling legend Nicolas Roche.
Just before the race started our bike mechanics Ger & Paul were on hand to help Nicolas fix an issue with his bike seat. Our highly trained team had Nicolas up on his bike and cycling in no time.
The event was a great opportunity to showcase what Frontline Bikes is doing with its training and upcycling programme. The programme provides upskilling and retraining in bike mechanics to people in the community who have been impacted by substance misuse, long-term unemployment and those emerging from custodial sentences.
The training centre in Bluebell takes in donations of unused bikes, that may end up as landfill, and upcycles and sells them at the bike shop in Inchicore. Money earned from the bike shop and social enterprise is reinvested back into the organisation. This ensures as many people as possible are given opportunities to upskill and learn a new trade, giving them further opportunities for employment.
Frontline Bikes is located at 147 Emmet Road, Inchicore in Dublin 8.
