Matt's Bike Fund
Donation protected
I am trying to raise the funds to buy an electric bicycle to enable me to get to work. I work shifts between 7am-7pm Monday-Sunday. Sometimes, my shift starts so early that there is not even a bus to get me to work on time. I am having to ask family or friends for a lift to work or pay for a taxi. Although people always do their best to help me, their patience is running out.
At the moment, I pay £65.00 per month on a First Month pass to get to work. On average, I do an early shift roughly ten days of the month. Usually, I can get a lift for about half of these. This still means I am paying about £70.00 per month on taxis. If the generosity of lifts decreases, this cost will be even more.
The journey to work takes over an hour at peak times. Sometimes, because of traffic or problems with the buses, I have been late through no fault of my own. Having my own wheels not only means that I can choose my own route to work, it also means I don’t have to wait for my transport to turn up. On average, when I get a lift or a taxi, the journey takes about 25 minutes. If I left at the times I currently do and took to the roads on an electric bicycle, I could guarantee being in on time, have time to make a coffee and I should never need to attend another lateness meeting again!
My wife has long-term disabilities and has not been in work since 2010. She feels as though she would like to contribute to society, but has never been able to get the support she needs to find a job that would be suitable for her. She has tried to find support to work from home but again, to no avail. She has now appointed herself to look after our home instead as she feels that is something she can do to contribute back for the money she receives.
I have weakened knees as a result of injury. Living on top of a hill would make cycling up the incline very painful for me. Having the electric motor on the bike will mean that not only do I have my own transport, but I can use the battery to help make the otherwise painful hills, relatively painless.
Despite my wife being disabled, we do not receive any housing or council tax benefit. This means we pay all of our bills in full, and spare money can be very short for us. If I was able to buy an electric bicycle, I would be able to save the money I usually spend on transport to cover other costs like home improvements, driving lessons and eventually a car of my own. A car would allow me to get to work and mean we could save even money on delivery charges for food shopping and homewares which we currently have no choice but to pay for. This is a short-term investment towards a long-term goal and a better life for both of us.
The bike shown in the photograph is the one I hope to buy. We ourselves are raising as much of the money as we can, but this bike would be a life-changer and the sooner I can afford it, the better it will be for everyone. If you can help, even with just a small contribution, we will be eternally grateful for the change it will bring to our lives.
Please, please just give what you can. Thankyou.
At the moment, I pay £65.00 per month on a First Month pass to get to work. On average, I do an early shift roughly ten days of the month. Usually, I can get a lift for about half of these. This still means I am paying about £70.00 per month on taxis. If the generosity of lifts decreases, this cost will be even more.
The journey to work takes over an hour at peak times. Sometimes, because of traffic or problems with the buses, I have been late through no fault of my own. Having my own wheels not only means that I can choose my own route to work, it also means I don’t have to wait for my transport to turn up. On average, when I get a lift or a taxi, the journey takes about 25 minutes. If I left at the times I currently do and took to the roads on an electric bicycle, I could guarantee being in on time, have time to make a coffee and I should never need to attend another lateness meeting again!
My wife has long-term disabilities and has not been in work since 2010. She feels as though she would like to contribute to society, but has never been able to get the support she needs to find a job that would be suitable for her. She has tried to find support to work from home but again, to no avail. She has now appointed herself to look after our home instead as she feels that is something she can do to contribute back for the money she receives.
I have weakened knees as a result of injury. Living on top of a hill would make cycling up the incline very painful for me. Having the electric motor on the bike will mean that not only do I have my own transport, but I can use the battery to help make the otherwise painful hills, relatively painless.
Despite my wife being disabled, we do not receive any housing or council tax benefit. This means we pay all of our bills in full, and spare money can be very short for us. If I was able to buy an electric bicycle, I would be able to save the money I usually spend on transport to cover other costs like home improvements, driving lessons and eventually a car of my own. A car would allow me to get to work and mean we could save even money on delivery charges for food shopping and homewares which we currently have no choice but to pay for. This is a short-term investment towards a long-term goal and a better life for both of us.
The bike shown in the photograph is the one I hope to buy. We ourselves are raising as much of the money as we can, but this bike would be a life-changer and the sooner I can afford it, the better it will be for everyone. If you can help, even with just a small contribution, we will be eternally grateful for the change it will bring to our lives.
Please, please just give what you can. Thankyou.
Organizer
Matt Smythe
Organizer
