New Mountain Bikes thanks to Grant Award

Grant for Mountain Bikes will Benefit Service Users

My Journey Community Grants and Southampton Council have awarded £4,000 to the Society of St James and Saints4Sport which will help pay for much-needed mountain bikes.

Saints4Sport offers vulnerable people who have been affected by complex issues the chance to enjoy sporting activities such as mountain biking through the New Forest – which helps with fitness as well as mental health.

The bikes which were being used by the team were starting to fall apart and required regular maintenance to work as they should. The new bikes mean the team will now have 10 new reliable bikes that can be used by the Saints4Sport team members on their road to recovery.

Ashley Christopher, Team Leader at Saints4Sport said: “We are delighted with this grant from MyJourney Community Grants and Southampton Council.

“Being able to purchase the new bikes means we have secured the future of our mountain biking activities which are such a benefit to the service users.

“We regularly head out on cycling activities across the south, including visits to the New Forest. We get to see the benefit this has on the service users through improved mental health and better fitness – so these bikes will play a big part in improving the lives of those who are recovering from homelessness or addictions.”

The Society of St. James Saints4Sport Project is run in partnership with the Saints Foundation and offers free educational, sport, and employment support activities to adults who are affected by the harmful impact of substance misuse, homelessness, poor mental health, and involvement with the Criminal Justice System.

Alongside the physical activities, we also offer many other opportunities for people to develop their skills and confidence, including access to training and education, with courses such as Health and Social Care, First Aid, Stewarding, Criminology, and Customer Service available.

For more information on Saints4Sport, visit: ssj.org.uk/sub-service/saints4sports/