A BIKE repair and salvage scheme in Chepstow is getting into gear.

Monmouthshire Upcycle, based in Station Road in the town, have recently been working to set up their latest venture.

Now the firm which breathes new life into previously loved furniture has officially launched its UpCycle project.

The new scheme will see donated bikes given a new lease of life and will also help members of the community to gain skills in bike repair and maintenance.

Monmouthshire Upcycle’s Emily Van der Heijden said: “One of our first goals is to deal with the massive donation of bikes we’ve already received from Pedalabikeaway.

“They’re not completely dead bikes, they’ve got lots of bits worth having.”

The bikes will be renovated and restored by a team of volunteers under the master tutelage of bike mechanic Ed Haythornthwaite.

“Ed’s the expert, he’s the one with all the skills.,” said Mrs Van der Heijden.

“We had our volunteers gathering the other day, a lot of people turned up to that.

“Some were unemployed, wanting to learn some new skills. We had some teenagers turn up as well which was fantastic.”

This idea of helping the community permeates all aspects of the business and comes back to director Matt Jones’ idea of “upcycling people”.

One way in which the UpCycle project is aiming to do this is through a scheme called Build A Bike.

“This involves with bits of pre-used bikes and bits which are brand new to build a bike which is usable for somebody who might be recently out of prison or otherwise down on their luck,” said Mrs Van Der Heijden.

“It gives them the chance to learn the skills of how to build their own bike and know they’re earning their bike as they build it.”

The project recently finished renovating their first bike. The good-as-new Bobbin Birdie is now available to purchase at their Station Road site.

For more information about the project, visit facebook.com/upcyclebikeproject