Bicester Green, the centre for skills, sustainability and second hand stuff, has been busier than ever recently, thanks to a grant from the European Skills Funding Agency to support people who may otherwise not have an opportunity to gain access to such skills.

There are now three sessions a week where volunteers perform a thorough work-over on neglected bicycles that many people would deem only fit for the scrap heap.

These are happily ridden away by paying clients who have often chosen their bicycles prior to the work being done.

The bicycle repair team are going from strength to strength and are even working on a commission from a new gym about to open up in Bicester, Anytime Fitness, which wants a retro-fitted bicycle customised to make smoothies.

But reviving bikes is not the only magic that happens at Bicester Green.

There is furniture to be refurbished, chairs to be upholstered, electrical items to be repaired, tea to be made (very important!) and recently a new effort to upcycle waste wood into birdboxes, magazine racks and even benches.

Bicester Green has just been awarded a grant from The Oxfordshire Community Foundation, a charitable organisation that connects donors with local causes, for its project called ‘Good Wood’ that aims to use waste wood as a catalyst to encourage activities between people who would not usually get a chance to work together, for instance an early retired teaching a teenager to use a drill while they make a stool together..

Speaking of drills, the ‘Drill Baby Drill’ Ladies’ DIY classes, supported by A2Dominion, have been going from strength to strength with Peter Myers, one of Bicester Green’s longstanding volunteers, having put on two excellent sessions in Aynho recently.

He is also booked in for three ‘DIY for Beginners’ sessions with Sustainable Wantage next month.

Other workshops available include Bike Repair, Birdbox Building, Furniture Upcycling, Foraging and Mosaic Making, all supported by different volunteers and funded by Oxfordshire County Council.

These are part of the ‘Green Tuesdays’ series of evening sessions, open to everyone in April.

To book one of the sessions, or to receive more information about Bicester Green, please get in touch.

You can do this via telephone: 01869 388564, email; info@bicestergreen.org.uk or even drop into the workshop to buy a bicycle or have a look around on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 5pm.

More information on Bicester Green is available by logging on to the website: www.bicestergreen.org.uk