Fitness enthusiasts will be peddling for pounds this weekend in a novel fundraising event that aims to support a charity that provides bikes for refugees.
Eighty people have signed up to a sold-out ride session at Lifescycle, the Edinburgh-based indoor cycle and spinning studio, on Sunday as well as many offering to donate their old bikes and equipment.
All proceeds from the ride and raffle will go to Bikes for Refugees Scotland, an Edinburgh-based group that upcycles and distributes donated bikes to refugees and asylum seekers.
The charity is to use the funds to provide essential safety equipment such as helmets, lights and locks as well as setting up its new Hub/Workshop, on the Union Canal.
Jeannie Hunter of Lifescycle, based in Newhaven Road, said the response to the event was so great that they had a waiting list for the two 40-person ride sessions.
She said: “We have always looked to position Lifecycle as more than just a centre to keep fit but a place where people can explore and make important connections with their local community.
“So Bikes for Refugees is the perfect cause for us, and we are so pleased to see so many of our supporters, as well as local businesses and individuals who donated raffle prizes, get behind this fundraising day.”
Lifescycle’s guru, Andy Hunter, has devised an energising spinning ride, set to a soundscape and film inspired by the refugee crisis.
The Scottish Refugee Community Kitchen will provide Syrian soup and snacks, as well as the opportunity to learn more about the work to support refugees in Scotland.
