NBRC Workshop Revamp (Dr Bike at the UEA)

We are Norwich Bicycle Repair Co-operative Ltd (NBRC); an independent, not-for-profit social enterprise based on the campus of the University of East Anglia (UEA), and we are asking for donations to help us decorate and fit out our new premises.

NBRC provides affordable professional repair services, as well as free resources and advice for our valued customers in order to empower them with the knowledge and skills they need to maintain their bikes and cycle safely. Our core ethos is to promote cycling as a healthy, economical and environmentally sustainable means of transport. We also work with local charities to help provide free refurbished bicycles to refugees and asylum seekers and their families. As a co-operative we are democratically run and we prioritise people over profit.

After 10 years on campus, there has recently been some uncertainty about the future of the service and as a result we have struggled to retain staff, maintain the level of service or expand and improve to the extent that we would like.

However, there is now light at the end of the tunnel and the UEA have been working hard behind the scenes to keep the Dr Bike service and continue supporting it, and that includes providing us with a shiny new workspace to replace the current cabin which has definitely seen better days! The new cabin will be partially tailored to our requirements, allowing us such luxuries as a designated indoor serving/retail area separate from the workshop (no more standing outside under a cold and leaky gazebo for us or our customers!) and ramps for disabled access and easier bike access. All of this means we will have to run a reduced service from a temporary location over the summer whilst the new premises are made ready. There is a great deal of work, expense and upheaval involved in clearing the current site, paying to store stock and equipment, setting up our temporary new location, then preparing the new cabin to move back in to, and operating a reduced service even for just a few months will impact our income considerably.

Once the new cabin is in place it will be up to us to fit out the interior from scratch, with all the required workshop and retail displays and storage, office furnishings and equipment etc. This will be a time-consuming and expensive process. We have some funds set aside but we anticipate that it will cost more than we have. For this reason we are asking all our lovely regular and loyal customers, friends and family, and anyone who loves cycling if they can donate whatever they can afford to help us with the cost of making our new workspace organised, updated and generally lovely to work in! We are looking at this as a fresh start and a chance to streamline and modernise many of our old systems which are no longer fit for purpose. Anything you can contribute, however small, will make a difference and help us to improve the workshop and the service we offer.

So, if you can spare a few pennies to help us we would be eternally grateful. If you prefer, we will also be accepting cash donations at the workshop. We understand that these are difficult times but even if you can’t donate, please share our GoFundMe appeal far and wide to help us achieve our goal.

Many thanks for taking the time to read about (and hopefully donate towards) our exciting new future and we hope you will come and see us at our Grand Re-opening; date to be announced! Keep following us on Facebook and Instagram or if you haven’t done so already, join our mailing list via the website to keep up to date with all the latest news.