Dozens of children from Stepney Primary School on Beverley Road, Hull will be heading home with a brand new bike thanks to a collaboration between local charity R-evolution and Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity network that powers everyday life for 8 million people acrossthe North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.
As a thank you to the local community for its patience and support while Northern Powergrid carried out a £2.5 million investment scheme to lay new electricity cables along Clough Road, Ryde Avenue, Ryde Street, The Rydales and Abbey Way earlier this year, the company has provided funding for R-evolution to set up a ‘Bike Library’ at the school as part of the charity’s work to encourage children to take up cycling. This means that 40 children are able to borrow a bike free for the next year.
Cathryn Harper, Northern Powergrid’s Customer Service Manager for the Humber Estuary Region, said: “The investment work we do is essential in that it ensures the reliability and resilience of the power network, both now and in the future, but we know it can be disruptive. We want to be a force for good in the communities we service and give something back. When we heard about R-evolution we were encouraged that they share our values for carbon reduction, sustainability and education and it’s great to be able to support them in introducing the joy of cycling to local children.”
Hanna Moore, Events and Communications Co-ordinator at R-evolution, said: “We believe that bikes are important for many reasons. The can provide transport to school, offer an eco-friendly way of travelling and keep us fit. We also believe in community and giving back, so it made perfect sense when Northern Powergrid approached us about providing funding to set up bike libraries in primary schools that served some of the families who lived on the streets where there work took place.”
As well as kitting out children with new bikes and helmets, R-evolution also fixed bikes brought in by parents, children and staff. Meanwhile, Northern Powergrid’s education team delivered a number of sessions to educate children about the local electricity network and staying safe around electrical equipment.”
Paul Browning, Head Teacher of Stepney Primary School, said: “I can’t thank Northern Powergrid and R-evolution enough for choosing our school to benefit from the bike library scheme. We’ve had great fun today and we’ve also received some invaluable advice about how to stay away and stay safe around electricity and what to do if we ever find ourselves in an emergency situation.”
R-evolution plans to set up a second Northern Powergrid-funded bike library at Newland St John School on Beresford Avenue, Hull in spring 2022.
The electricity distributor is also working with Hull City Council to deliver a scheme of tree and wildflower planting in the area and has engaged with local people about their preferences and will be sharing an update in the near future.
People can find out more about Northern Powergrid’s investment work by visiting northernpowergrid.com or by calling the company’s customer care team on 0800 011 3332. The network operator is also available 24/7 on Facebook and Twitter.
Northern Powergrid offers free Priority Services Membership for anyone who might need extra help and support during a power cut. For information about joining this service visit northernpowergrid.com/care or call 0800 169 2996.