Trishaw volunteers get £1000 boost from Wick Laundry
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Volunteers in Wick who take elderly or less able people out for leisurely rides in a three-wheeled bike have been given a £1000 boost by a local business.
Wick Laundry made the donation to Cycling Without Age after staff saw how beneficial the trishaw trips have been for the health and wellbeing of care home residents and others in the community.
Initially the money was to go towards a new battery for the trishaw. When £1500 was awarded for this purpose by the Highland Third Sector Interface from the Highland Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, the laundry staff agreed they would still go ahead with their donation to help with other costs.
The support was welcomed by George Ewing, captain of the Wick chapter of Cycling Without Age, an international non-profit movement that aims to give older and disabled people access to the outdoors.
Laundry manager Caitlin Mowat explained: “Me and the girls discussed donating to a charity and we were looking for a charity that we don't really hear much about. One of the girls spoke about Cycling Without Age and we thought that would be a great one.
“I contacted George and asked what would be beneficial, and he mentioned the battery.”
Even though the wellbeing funding then came through, Caitlin and her team stuck to their pledge.
“We just thought we would round it up, because George says he has a lot of other ongoing costs and we're happy to help in any way we can," Caitlin said.
“It's a great thing that he's doing, getting people out and about. We see them going past and get a few waves.”
Caitlin's late father, John Sutherland, was a prominent local businessman who supported many good causes.
“My dad was very good at trying to help the community and we want to keep that going,” Caitlin said.
Her mother Cathy is the owner of the laundry.
George said: “The battery that's in it is still quite good, but if we have a second battery then we can prolong the amount of time that we can use it on any one trip.
“Although Caithness is not generally hilly, some of the hills here do suck the energy out of the battery. We've been limited to two or two-and-a-half hours maximum during any one day and then having to put it back on charge.
“An extra battery is going to allow us to use it for more than two-and-a-half hours or so a day.
“We count ourselves very fortunate that we've had these recent donations that will ensure the longevity of what we're able to do.
“It has also given myself and the volunteers a big thumbs-up to say that what we're doing in the community is appreciated."
He added: “We would like to maybe give consideration to buying a different type of adaptive bike, like a wheelchair bike, for people that are wheelchair bound. If we do things right, and apply for some other funding, we might be lucky enough to be able to purchase one of those as well.”
George says the trishaw – which has heated blankets for added comfort – is continuing to prove popular.
“It seems to be quite uplifting, especially for residents of care homes who don't get out as much as they would maybe like," he said.
In the run-up to Christmas, the Cycling Without Age volunteers took care home residents on a series of evening tours so they could see Wick's Christmas lights.
The trishaw cost the best part of £10,000 when it was acquired in 2019. Money was raised initially through Wick Wheelers cycling club, with funding coming from the Caithness Beatrice Community Fund and Dounreay Communities Fund as well as a grant from the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council.
Cycling Without Age began in Denmark 10 years ago.
