Edinburgh bike charity launches £10,000 fundraiser after flash flooding
Staff were forced to evacuate the premises
An Edinburgh bike charity has launched a £10,000 fundraiser after flash flooding forced staff to evacuate their workshop and left the organisation facing a week of lost work and revenue.
The Bike Station, a Scottish charity which promotes cycling through the sale of affordable refurbished bikes and community programs, was hit when torrential rain caused flooding in Edinburgh's Old Town on August 19.
The charity's Tollcross branch was among the areas affected, with its basement workshop flooded during the extreme weather.
Staff were forced to leave the premises while the damage was assessed, with repairs taking more than a week to complete.
The branch has now reopened, but the charity says that disruption has had a significant financial impact during one of its busiest times of the year.
Staff said the eight day closure during their busiest time has led to around a 40 per cent drop in the people getting on bikes, and an approximate 30 per cent drop in the number of bikes refurbished at Tollcross this month compared to last.
Demand for bikes is currently at its highest, while The Bikes Station’s community programme is also getting back into full swing as children return to school following their summer holidays.
The charity launched an online crowd funder, with which they aim to raise £10,000 to help with the ongoing recovery of the Tollcross workshop and support its community projects.
The Bike Station works with a range of groups across Scotland, including children and young people, asylum seekers and people who are underrepresented in cycling.
The organisation also runs a free library of children's bikes, alongside its work selling refurbished bicycles.
Sasha Taylor, chief executive of The Bike Station, praised staff for their efforts in getting the Tollcross branch back up and running following the flooding.
She said: “We are so proud of our amazing mechanic and branch team for the work that they do year-round and we are particularly proud of the pace at which they have been able to recover and rebuild from this flood.”
Ms Taylor also warned the extreme weather events could become increasingly common as a result of climate change.
She added: “Extreme weather events are only going to happen more often due to climate change, so we are more determined than ever to carry on our work helping everyone to enjoy a sustainable and joyful mode of transport.”
The flooding on August 19 caused disruption across parts of Edinburgh's Old Town, with areas including South Bridge and the Grassmarket also affected by the heavy rainfall.
The £10,000 fundraiser will contribute towards the recovery of the Tollcross workshop while helping the charity continue its wider work encouraging more people to cycle.
The Bike Stations crowdfunder is available online for members of the public who wish to support the charity's recovery.