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A lost Saturday afternoon spent drinking coffee, talking bicycles and listening to poetry; half pints of lager shandy at The Greyhound were also involved.

Splendid.

It all started off so innocently - most mistakes do these days - but somehow managed to manifest into a late August afternoon of shandy and scones.

Whoops.

A very kind invite for mid-morning coffee round at the home of Wivenhoe’s esteemed Bike Guru got Saturday off to a good start. Any man who likes to combine cycling with coffee is always worth a chin wag with.

As well as offering a Bike Guru service around Wivenhoe, plus manning the mechanical duties at the very ACE Re-Cycle across in Colchester, Matt - for he is your Bike Guru - is about to set up a cycling ‘n coffee shop down by the old bus station in Sunny Colch.

It’s an idea that is not new to London, and hopefully now is the perfect time to introduce a similar service around these North Essex estuary parts. As well as serving high-class coffee, bike repairs will be available, all within a space that celebrates cycling culture.

This may take the form of showing live coverage of the Grand Tours, or perhaps film evenings to screen some of the classic cycling documentaries.

Keep Colchester Cycling will also be based down at the kiosks in the old bus station, sharing the space with Bike Guru and his coffee n’ cycling cultural exchange.

Meanwhile, back in Wivenhoe and there was a coffee machine to road test. I admit to being more of a Tetley Tea type of chap - perhaps at a push then a rather generous teaspoon of Nescafe if I’m going for that continental look.

It was certainly an education in the Wivenhoe kitchen as I was shown how the machine works, or rather how you work with the machine and tame all that lively hissing and spurting.

The Bike Guru has grand plans, and having listened to them with great interest, I explained my own grand plan for the remainder of the day:

Mr Mule, LIVE and DIRECT Upstairs at The Greyhound.

Oh Lordy.

A brief bicycle fixation back at my base, and soon we were propping up the bar, ordering the half shandies and even shouting a round for the always engaging Pop Genius of this Parish.

Currently trading as Wivenhoe’s Leading Light Entertainer - and who are we to doubt this? - Mr Mule was on fine form as he prepared to entertain the afternoon crowd Upstairs at The Greyhound with verse, song and good humour.

Some parallels were in place from what I had heard from Matt earlier in the day. Upstairs at The Greyhound is a dead space during the day. Much like the old kiosks in Colchester, Mr Mule is keen to explore this and fill it with happy folk.

It was a mixed crowd that had come to see the Leading Entertainer - a local borough Councillor, a young chap dreading the Back to School routine that awaits, Mr Mule’s Mum.

Blimey.

The first half of the performance focussed upon The Hythe. Not at all wanting to claim credit for being the muse for Mr Mule, but having read my recent @Colchester101 piece all about the old industrial heartbeat of the Colne, this sparked an interest in revisiting some of his previous research.

In the unlikely event that you find yourself standing on the platform at the Hythe train station, do take the time to take in the words and ideas that decorate the area. This was a commission for Mr Mule, who undertook months of research and writing.

[note to self: you may have a fancy dan stereo mic mp3 gizmo, but it still sounds slightly ropey, unless you are sitting facing the performer - doh! Apologies...]

These ideas also came together for one Saturday afternoon only, Upstairs at The Greyhound. We heard about the old boys who worked the port, the returning commuters from Liverpool Street and the whores of Hythe Hill.

It’s quite a lively area, I tell you.

Mr Mule was joined by Dr Adrian May, a well-known figure on the folk circuit, and a Hythe resident. His murder ballad was one of the most beautiful pieces of music that I have heard in some time, and somehow it just seemed to make perfect sense on a Saturday afternoon at The Greyhound, just as the estuary rain took issue with the fag end of the summer.

Mr Mule returned for a mandolin version of Home Counties Boy. I have touched on before how this is his personal calling card. Everything that you need to know about Wivenhoe’s (current) Leading Light Entertainer is encapsulated in song and verse.

And then just as the Pop Genius sang:

“and don’t drop your H’s, my mum said to me…”

…I glimpsed his dear old Ma sitting opposite have a twinkle in her eye, a slight foot tappin’ moment and an even a singing of the chorus.

Awww…

Lovely.

Mr Mule of course was oblivious to it all, doing the rock ‘n roll thing. Still, the moment was there, and I’m sure a very proud dear old Ma went home feeling rather happy.

Just like me.

A brief break for beer and scones, care of the wonderful @Seelkram and his burgeoning Well Bread Wivenhoe business, and then we were back for more songs and dance (sort of) from the top turn of the afternoon.

Pound for pound this was poetry and pastry value for money. Where else on a hit and miss North Essex Saturday afternoon are you going mix songs, scones and shandy?

So yeah - quite a random start to the weekend. I blame the seriously strong coffee.

More of the same please, kind Sirs.

Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling project.

We are keen here at Keep Colchester Cycling to open up our blog to the many local partners that we are working with as part of our bike pool project. Playing an important part of this collaboration is Re-cycle - the bicycle aid for Africa organisation.

Based just past Rollerworld along Moorside in Colchester, this local group is genuinely changing lives in Africa. Re-cycle is also essential to our vision of promoting cycling in Colchester, by very kindly donating our fleet of hire bikes.

I spent a very engaging Tuesday afternoon at the Re-cycle HQ to find out more about the wider macro aims of the organisation, as well as how the work plays a role in the micro local economy. It is very much this meeting of localism and globalism that attracted Keep Colchester Cycling to forming a working relationship with Re-cycle.

Put simply, the aims of the organisation is to:

“Collect second-hand bicycles and ship them to Africa. Our partners distribute bikes and teach riders the skills to repair and maintain them.”

Never underestimate the genuine life-changing experience of pedal power. We may moan here in Colchester when North Hill becomes congested, but it is not a life and death matter. Liberating locals through cycling in an African village can be the catalyst for genuine social change.

It is by pure good fortune that Colchester has Re-cycle based in our own backyard. This came about through a connection with the University when Re-cycle was first established over a decade ago.

With the majority of the 37,000 or so bikes that have been sent to Africa so far coming from Colchester, Re-cycle is keen to offer some form of support back to the thriving cycling community in Colchester.

The downstairs workspace at Moorside is made up of the 1,000′s of bikes that are currently awaiting shipment; take a step upstairs and you will find the Re-cycle workshop and sales floor.

It resembles a more mainstream bike shop, although the level of service and prices are definitely unique in cycling circles. Each bike that is donated is lovingly restored, with a dedicated team of local mechanics, fronted by Colchester Bike Guru Matt.

As Matt explains in the audioboo below, bicycles are restored and sold in the workshop as part of a social enterprise project to help local families on a low income. Prices are incredibly competitive and well below the second-hand bike market value.

It is this circular approach to supporting cycling, sustainability and working at a local and global level that is so appealing at Re-cycle. It can cost around £10 just to physically ship a single bike out to Africa. The small amount of profit made in selling on the higher end bikes back to Colchester folk covers this cost.

I continued my tour, and wandered around the upstairs premises. A man can never own enough bikes has long since been my mantra, and I made a mental note to return to Re-cycle come the next pay day.

Back downstairs in the main studio and it was tempting to calculate the Bikes per Square Inch measurement. Space is vital, and every single bit of the workshop is crammed full of bikes that are ready for shipment.

I needed to find out more about how the process of an abandoned bike in North Essex then somehow finds itself being shipped to Africa to transform lives in a very different continent and culture.

Re-cycle Manager Derek very kindly agreed for a chat, and helpfully explained the process of how a Colchester warehouse at the back of Rollerworld is enabling better transport solutions for people across Africa.

We also touched on Keep Colchester Cycling, and the Re-cycle involvement in promoting cycling back here in our hometown. A fleet of around a dozen bicycles will be provided and serviced by Re-cycle. We are working with a number of local artists to transform the frames and present a unique paint job.

There is uncertainty amongst our various partners on this project as to where this project will take us. It is this very same sense of excitement and experimentation that has led to a Colchester organisation shipping some 37,000 abandoned bikes across continents for well over a decade now.

The physical maintenance and opportunities that a bike presents us with enable this way of working. It may be a long way from Namibia to North Hill, but Colchester is certainly putting itself on the global cycling map with Re-cycle.

You can support Re-cycle by simply donating a bike, or even buying one of the lovingly restored models that are for sale. Any bike is accepted as a donation - if it is beyond the point of repair then the parts will be used as spares. Hybrids, road bikes, MTB’s, BMX’s, children’s bikes - all are for sale in the workshop.

Re-cycle is open Tuesday - Friday 9-5, and 9-1 on a Saturday. Head just past Rollerworld, and you will soon see the workshop.

Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling Project.

Anyone wanting to witness the growing cycling community around Colchester could have seen evidence of the current boom in bicycles at the Green Fair staged at the University this week. With the broad aim of promoting the University’s Sustainable Travel Strategy, many friends and groups across Colchester came together to promote a more sustainable lifestyle around the campus.

Transition Town Wivenhoe had a very strong and visual presence. The striking drop handlebar tandem may have been the source for much cycle envy, but it was also the powerhouse for the Revolutionary Pedal Powered Cinema. The local sustainable group were powering up a Playstation in Square 5, as well as rolling out later in the evening with a film premier around the Lakes.

Our friends Andrew and Emily from the Colchester Travel Club were also represented, helping out students and staff with local cycling maps, as well as being at hand to talk about anything and everything that involves cycling around Colchester. Which sounded like the perfect opportunity to pitch for a podcast…

Our Keep Colchester Cycling partners Re-Cycle were staging a successful cycle sale. Based down just off East Street, Re-Cycle’s main mission is to collect secondhand bicycles and ship them to Africa. On a more #hyperlocal level and the organisation is very kindly working with Keep Colchester Cycling in providing our fleet of hire bikes.

Cycle UK was also holding a sale, with a healthy level of competition with our friends from Re-Cycle. Seven beautiful Dutch town bikes had been bought by lunchtime. Expect heads to turn around campus over the coming weeks.

Other events included the University’s very own Cycle Watch tagging bikes with a micro chip shuttlecock (blimey!) updates on the Cycle to Work Scheme and general bike mechanics also on offer.

All of this activity left us thinking that cycling certainly has a future on campus and around Colchester in general. It wasn’t simply the range of cycle related groups that was encouraging, but the conversations and co-operation between partners that was to be applauded.

Now then - who wants to build a Dutch style tandem?

Pubiished as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling project.

As part of the University’s Green Fair being held on campus on Wednesday 4th May, local group Transition Town Wivenhoe is powering up the Revolutionary Pedal Powered Cinema to screen a free film to conclude the day:

“The Lakes at The University of Essex will be transformed into a giant outdoor cinema on 4th May to host a free, UK premier of Home, the internationally acclaimed film from Earth From the Air’s Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The Film will start at 8:30pm.

The event is a collaboration between the grass roots group Transition Town Wivenhoe, Essex University and the Student Union Environmental Committee.”

TTW’s use of pedal power to offer free films around the area is now firmly established. With a Halloween screening of Ghostbusters down at Wivenhoe Quay, and a recent showing of The Incredibles outside The Station pub, the local sustainability group has plenty of expertise in powering up generators with pedals.

The group will also be powering a performance of local films at the Wivenhoe May Fair, as well as hopefully being able to screen a series of of films at the Colchester Free Festival later this summer.

The technology required is really quite simple. Workshops have been staged in the town to try and encourage pedal power as a sustainable form of generating local energy.

The Green Fair itself will run from 10am - 2pm, taking place in Square 5 on campus. We are pleased that our Keep Colchester Cycling partners Re-Cycle will also have a presence on the day.

The University is well served by public transport, but of course the best way to reach Wivenhoe Park is by bicycle. There is ample cycling parking provision on campus. Volunteers to help power the Revolutionary Pedal Powered Cinema will be most welcome.

Published as part of the Keep Colchester Cycling project.

The final speaker at the recent Active Travel conference at the University of Essex was our very own Marc De’ath - the founder of the Creative Coop, and one of the lead orgnaisers for Keep Colchester Cycling. Marc used his brief conference slot to explain and update how the project is progressing ahead of the launch. This would seem like a good opportunity to provide an online update as to how the bike pool scheme is shaping up…

Marc confirmed that a soft launch of Keep Colchester Cycling would take place in May. We want to make sure that the logistics of the bike pool are in place, ahead of the anticipated demand that we are planning for during Bike Week in Colchester.

We are thrilled to be working with re-cycle - an international organisation that just so happens to be working out of Colchester. re-cycle essentially collects up old and unused bikes, and then restores them for use in Third World countries. Never underestimate the social power of pedal power; Recycle is genuinely changing lives in areas experiencing a lack of transport infrastructure.

Keep Colchester Cycling is also partnering up with the Slug and Lettuce along the High Street. This will be our main distribution point, and the place where our pool of bikes can be collected and returned. The thinking is that this may be an atypical location in which to promote cycling. If we can encourage non-cyclists to explore their town via two wheels, then one of the main aims of the project will have succeeded.

A local artist is also on board to help customise our bike pool that we will receive from re-cycle. Although transport and sustainability are our main themes, adding an artistic angle is important too. A local mechanic has also kindly agreed to help us out with the maintenance of the fleet.

We are still looking for route suggestions or sponsors for certain routes. Each Keep Colchester Cycling bike will come with a route map, documenting places of local artistic and cultural interest. Any local cartographers who want to partner us in our work will be greatly received. Likewise if a local business wants to sponsor a route - please do get in touch.

And that is pretty much where we are at with Keep Colchester Cycling right now. The final plans are being put in place ahead of the soft launch, and then hopefully Bike Week will see a visible presence of our bike fleet around the town.

Not long now…