Grand re-opening of Edinburgh Bike Station after devastating fire

Edinburgh is stage a grand re-opening of its bike recycling charity, The Bike Station, following a devastating fire last year.

The facility is new and improved following a successful online crowdfunding campaign that saw the charity raise £16K in donations from members of the public in just two weeks.

The charity says it has managed to create a space that will help serve customers, volunteers and community groups better than before.

The shop floor and office space have been repaired and renovated, with more space for adult and children’s refurbished secondhand bikes.

There is a dedicated area for the popular Fix Your Own Bike sessions, where members of the public can come along on a Wednesday and a Saturday to fix their own bike with the help of Bike Station mechanics and volunteers.

A new purpose built training space has also been created to ensure the community outreach work and educational programs can continue to be run, such as the build your own bike courses that provides opportunities for disadvantaged youths.

Steve Hynd, Manager of The Bike Station said: "Thankfully due to the amazing support of the public and the outstanding work of the staff, we are very happy to announce the opening of the refurbished new look Bike Station on the 16th of May.

“We thoroughly look forward to welcoming everyone and thank you all again for your support.”

Last year we reported how the fire devastated the charity’s shop floor, workshop and office space, and left a large hole in the roof. With the building inaccessible, Bike Station was forced to operate at reduced capacity out of a nearby warehouse.

Although the premises were insured, the insurance isn’t enough to cover all the damage caused by the fire.