Oxford Cool-bike
Suzanne Bradshaw, of Oxfordshire PCT, talks about a small project making a big difference for the homeless in Oxford.
Within the centre of Oxford there are several retailers who donate surplus food at the end of the trading day to community food projects. This is usually sandwiches or bread products which could not be sold the following day because they would exceed their sell by dates.
The Gatehouse is one of the recipient projects and provides food for anyone dropping in to the project between 5p.m. and 7p.m. Volunteers had historically collected the food on foot which had its limitations (how much the volunteers could carry and how quickly they could distribute the food to the recipient projects).
A need was identified to provide transport to ease this process. Oxford city centre is closed to traffic other than public transport during the day which presented us with the problem of the form of transport we could use. There is also the issue that there are quite a lot of cobbled streets in Oxford!
Aims and Objectives
The main aim of the project was to ensure that the food was delivered and safe to eat on delivery.
The objectives were:
- to increase the quantity that the volunteers were able to collect
- food was kept within the safe temperature range from collection to delivery
- the food would be delivered more quickly to the projects
Partners
- Community Caterers Network
- Oxfordshire PCT,
- The Gatehouse and
- Oxford City Council.
Methodology
The Gatehouse is a member of the Community Caterers Network. This is a group made up of both statutory and voluntary groups all with an interest in supplying healthy food to community projects.
The Community Caterers Network identified the need for the bike and looked for funding and a possible supplier of the bike. Funding was secured from Co-op Community Fund and a supplier was found locally - the Oxford Cycle Workshop. The cycle workshop is a coperative that reclaims and refurbishes bikes, training previously unemployed (and sometimes homeless) people.
Parking was secured at Wesley Memorial Church and third party insurance was obtained. Safety equipment was purchased for people using the bike and training was given on how to ride it.
Promotion
The Cool Bike was launched on 4th July 2003 at The Gatehouse. Local press and the Co-op photographer came along to publicise the event.
The Cool Bike was also taken to the Cowley Road Carnival and took part in the parade! The bike was used to hand out leaflets and cool water to people attending the carnival. People showed interest in hiring the bike so hire charges were established.
Resources
In order for this project to be a success there were several fundamentals required - funding to pay for the bike and safety equipment, a supplier of a suitable bike, garaging (not easy in the centre of Oxford) and insurance. These took time to establish but ensured the success of the project.
Evaluation
The project was an instant success - the food was kept cool from donors to recipients! The bike has the space for 4 large cool bags in a box on the back which meant that more food could be collected.
Lessons Learned
Funding was difficult to secure but the Community Caterers persevered. This was too good a project to give up on at the first knock down.
Funding streams often come in phases so if you are turned down once just try again. Parking was always going to be an issue - the centre of Oxford is closed to traffic during the day and people are encouraged to leave vehicles outside the city and use public transport. Hence there is not a great deal of parking and what there is, is expensive.
The bike needed secure parking and preferably free. Various organisations were approached and eventually the Wesley Memorial Church kindly agreed to garage the bike.
Future Developments
The Community Caterers are hopeful that the project will continue to run for many years. They are now looking at extending the service by setting up a food bank in Oxford.
Contact Details
Contact Name: Suzanne Bradshaw
Job Title: Public Health Dietitian
Phone: 01865 264928
Email: suzanne.bradshaw@oxfordshirepct.nhs.uk
Fax: 01865 0264939
Website:
Organisation: Oxfordshire PCT
Address: Community Nutrition and Dietetics, East Oxford Health Centre, Manzil Way, Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1XD