(Wai Yin Society welcomes Mobike)
The recent upturn in popularity of cycling on British roads does not seem as evident for ethnic minority groups or the disadvantaged in British society. This is an area for research. However, we are very pleased to welcome Mobike, a Chinese bike sharing company, to Greater Manchester. Recently, launched, many of you will have seen their bright orange vehicles dotted around Manchester and Salford.
I myself have tested their bikes both in my Easter holidays in Beijing, and now in Manchester. Their wide accessibility and inclusiveness (cheap to use, no language and cultural barriers) are a welcome contribution to mobility for our service users. These are principles that we strongly support and encourage, and complement the work we do here in the community.
So we would also like to promote our own Manchester Dragon Cycling Club (MDCC) at Wai Yin Society. This is a project led by Tommy Chow, a former Olympic cyclist from Hong Kong. He runs regular bike clinics, and group cycle rides that are open to everyone. This is a welcome boon for our service users, many of whom have very limited English language. Although in his 70s, Tommy can usually be found at the Wai Yin Welcome Centre on Tuesday mornings repairing and building bikes, which are made available for new migrants and refugees. We would also like to thank GMP for the kind offer of second hand bikes from their unclaimed lost property store.
If you are interested in joining or supporting MDCC and Wai Yin Society, please contact Patrick Steele on 0161 833 0377