Somerset College

Students at Somerset College have been fixing bicycles that will help schoolchildren in Africa.

Seven students from the National Diploma in Automotive Engineering course have been repairing bicycles to send to children in The Gambia through the education charity Jole Rider.

Jole Rider helps schoolchildren in remote communities make the journey to their nearest schools. Without the bikes they have to walk miles in searing heat, but having a bicycle helps them as well as their communities.

The Somerset College students used unwanted bicycles from the charity Transition Taunton as well as College staff, and Dereck Cutler from Taunton cycle repair business DC Cycleworks helped them do the repairs.

Now they plan to continue the work in September.

Ross Hawkins, Qualification Manager for Automotive Engineering, said: “We are delighted to help Jole Rider with this very worthy project. Our National Diploma students gain a wealth of skills on their course and are only too pleased to use them for a good cause.”

Caption: Bicycle repairers – left to right, Bryony Wickens, Dereck Cutler, Marcus Marsh, Joe Broom, Dave Sanders, Robin Blair, Anthony Christian, Scott Crossman