Positive Youth, Tadcaster
Set within the grounds of Tadcaster Grammar School, the Positive Youth Bike Library certainly has a picturesque setting going for it.
Each week in the lead up to the Tour de Yorkshire we’re shining the spotlight on some of the fantastic Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries located on or near this year’s race route. This week we’re near stage two’s start in Tadcaster…
Set within the grounds of Tadcaster Grammar School, the Positive Youth Bike Library certainly has a picturesque setting going for it.
Set up in late autumn 2015 by the project's director Steve Green, the library benefits from its rural setting by having the space for a workshop and storage facilities. Pupils from the school can easily access the library and regularly participate in loans, activities and maintenance sessions headed up by Steve himself, along with a core team of volunteers.
The library's reach isn't limited to its immediate location either, as they also serve the areas of Selby and Sherburn in Elmet as well as Tadcaster as a whole. There is a separate Donation Station at the nearby Scarthingwell Golf Course, which means there are plenty of options for locals to donate their old or unwanted bikes to the initiative.
In addition to the great work they're already doing, the Positive Youth Bike Library also has a continuous presence at various galas and fundraising events in the local community, which has increased awareness for the project to such an extent that they've been able to invest in a van from which they run further workshops and can use to collect and deliver bikes.
They were busy promoting the scheme en route last year as the race passed through Sherburn in Elmet, so are particularly excited that this year's Tour de Yorkshire is going directly past the school. Says Steve of the event: "We have had a great response to our promotion work during TDY, and have successfully delivered various workshops for young people. The project continues to go from strength to strength and bike loans have increased significantly."
Work continues to deliver future projects which include winter workshops for young people, and they are also exploring the possibility of an easy-access work space so they can train members of the community up as mechanics to ensure the sustainability of their library.
You can visit Positive Youth's pop-up Bike Library on the day of the race - look out for them in the fan zone!
