Tuesday 11 August 2009

Will & John

Will came back to see us last week after coming out of detox as part of a Salvation Army program he is on. We had worked with him a month ago and he had gone away very happy with a bike. He told us that that same weekend that he had received his bike, he had cycled 38miles as part of Bristol's Biggest Bike Ride and had not touched any alcohol all weekend because he was so energised from riding his bike.

John (pictured left), working alongside one of our volunteers Will, is another gentleman that we have recently worked with by way of the Salvation Army. He is keen to volunteer with us on a regular basis in order to learn more skills and to keep active.

Slowcoast



Nick Hand, from Bristol, is riding around the entire coastline of Britain, making soundslide films along the way which document artisans that live and work along it. Take a look.

On his blog, there is a great quote:

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments. Here was a machine of precision and balance for the convenience of man. And (unlike subsequent inventions for man’s convenience) the more he used it, the fitter his body became. Here, for once, was a product of man’s brain that was entirely beneficial to those who used it, and of no harm or irritation to others. Progress should have stopped when man invented the bicycle.”

Elizabeth West, ‘Hovel in the Hills’

The Bristol Bike Project Film!

Two months ago, alistair oldham, head of documentary-making at the University of the West of England contacted us about the possibility of making a short documentary about the bristol bike project.

They have been filming the project and the people we work with for the last six weeks and are currently editing the film which should be ready by the end of september. There will be various screenings of the film in and around bristol and we will have a link from our website when it is live. Watch this space!