HUNDREDS of abandoned bicycles will help people living in rural communities benefit from a degree of independence following a donation from a train company.

Greater Anglia, which operates the East Anglia transport franchise, has gifted 333 bicycles to Colchester-based non-profit organisation Re-Cycle.

The horde of two-wheelers, which were left abandoned at stations across the train company’s network, had been kept in storage but were never claimed.

The hefty collection had built up throughout 2020 as a result of Great Anglia’s cycle tagging exercise, which sees workers attach notices to cycles parked in station racks.

If the tags are not removed by the bicycle’s owners, they are assumed unwanted and subsequently removed, which ended up being the fate for more than 500 push bikes.

The haul will now be sent to rural communities in Africa, where transport options for residents are extremely limited, after being collected by workers from Re-Cycle.

Krzysztof Drozd, Greater Anglia station cleaning and waste manager, said: “We are pleased to support Re-Cycle by donating these abandoned bikes from various station across our network.

“People living in rural Africa can walk for miles a day to collect water, or to get to school or work.

“A bike can change someone’s life, and we are pleased to be able to help Re-Cycle with their mission to help people in Africa access sustainable bike transport.

“We would like to remind passengers our cycle storage facilities are for short term use only and people should not leave cycles for longer periods of time.

“We would also advise cyclists to use good quality locks while securing their bikes.”

Re-Cycle, which was founded to enrich the lives of others by improving their transport options, also provides training to mechanics on how to repair bikes in a bid to improve sustainability.

Claire Kettle, operations director for Re-Cycle, added: “These bikes help so many people in Africa with no other transport options to be independent and the added benefit of our reuse and repurpose ethic is fewer bikes being sent to landfill in the UK.

“Re-Cycle is delighted to partner with Greater Anglia and grateful for all of the abandoned bicycles donated to us this year.”

To find out more visit facebook.com/bicyclecharity.