Worthing nurse among 40 NHS workers to receive renovated abandoned bike

Fiona Sayers, Advance d Nurse Practitioner in Sussex, with her free bike, which was renovated after being abandoned at a Southern stations SUS-200615-142548001

A Worthing nurse is among 40 NHS workers who has received a renovated bicycle for free in a scheme initiated by Southern Rail.

Southern’s community engagement team saw the opportunity to reduce the ‘mountain’ of unclaimed abandoned bicycles at its maintenance depot in Horsham while also giving a ‘thank you’ to NHS workers and promoting safe, sustainable travel, all at the same time.

Southern approached the county council’s Bikeability team and other partners to set up the renovation and donation scheme.

Fiona Sayers, an advanced nurse practitioner with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, received one of the bicycles.

Bikeability Instructor Martin Child renovating a bicycle destined for an NHS worker SUS-200615-142536001

She said: “I use it nearly every day and I love it! I have already felt the health benefits. Instead of driving my car to work in Worthing, or the shops, etc, I will now use my bicycle to get around.”

Every month, bikes are kept at Southern’s maintenance depot in Horsham in case their owners decide to recover them.

The condition of the restored bicycles varied from those needing spares, which might take a couple of days to arrive, some needing a full renovation taking four to five hours, to others that only needed the final safety check and some more air in the tyres.