Bikes for Africa collection restarts in Athlone after theft

Westmeath County Council has commenced collecting bikes again in Athlone for the Bikes to Africa scheme, in the wake of the theft of an earlier consignment of bicycles, it has emerged.

Eighty-three bikes left Mullingar on November 3 on the first leg of their journey to Africa and a similar consignment would have left Athlone except they were stolen. John Jackson, environment officer with the council, told a meeting of the Environment Strategic Policy Committee of Westmeath County Council last Friday, that this was a blow because “… these bikes need a lot of refurbishment and so really are not much use to those who stole them”.

Mr Jackson and the Mullingar and Athlone Rotary Clubs who were behind this initiative, were heartened by the public response.

“We had people coming from as far away as Dublin to give us bikes when news got out of that setback,” he told the They are thinking of putting a tracker on one of the bikes in the container to foil any similar attempt in the future.

“It was disappointing because we expected to have two shipments going at the same time in November, but we have moved on from it and have started gathering bikes again in both locations and we would expect them to be picked up again in the new year,” he said.

Chairman Cllr Frank McDermott hailed the Bikes for Africa scheme as “a magnificent project” and congratulated the Rotary Clubs and all involved.