A CHARITY in Tetbury has given away a custom bike to a teenager, helping give 100 African children the chance to go to school.

Tom Gardner, 13, from Tavistock, paid £5 to enter a draw with Tetbury based Jole Rider at WOMAD last year.

The money raised went to Jole Riders‘s Bikes4Africa programme, raising more than £1,000 and giving bikes to more than 100 children.  

Without bikes, many African children cannot get to school

Tom’s bike has been built from a combination of new and recycled bike parts at Jole Rider’s base, The Bike Shed, Tetbury, by Graeme Richardson, a member of the charity’s team.

Tom said, “I can’t believe we won and I got to choose my own bike, it’s amazing and I picked my favourite colours.

It’s good that we have also been able to help other children get to school by giving them bikes.”

Since 2006, Jole Rider has enabled almost 14,000 children to get to school in West Africa by providing second-hand bicycles, most of which have been refurbished in UK prisons by prison inmates.

A new competition has started - a £5 ticket can be bought every month, and there are 12 bikes to be one across the year.

All proceeds go to charity.