Prodigal Bikes Home Page
Prodigal Bikes - Sending bikes to Africa
Prodigal Bikes is a charity that brings hope and changes lives in both Africa and the UK.
Why “Prodigal” Bikes? In the Bible, Luke Ch. 15 vs 11-32 is a story Jesus told about a father who welcomes his wayward (Prodigal) son back into his family, giving him a second chance in life.
In the UK we refurbish bikes donated to us, teaching engineering skills and giving work experience to those who need that second chance. These bikes are then either shipped to Africa or given to refugees and asylum seekers here in the UK.
In Africa our bikes are used by patients to access healthcare, and by school children and teachers to get to schools. We also provide tools, spare parts and training to keep the bikes working.
Please browse our website to see what we do, who we help and how you can get involved.
HOW COULD YOU HELP?
We are a non-profit organization, and rely on volunteers and donations to help us make a difference to people’s lives. If you would like to volunteer, make a donation or organise a charity event please get in touch we’d love to hear from you.
Latest Prodigal Bikes News
When a shipment of our bikes arrives in Africa, that is just the start of the programme. ![]()
To truly change people's lives through bikes, enabling access to education, employment and healthcare, the bikes need support to keep running for many years. This means having trained teams of mechanics with equipped workshops and regular supplies of bike components.![]()
To fund all this, we sell the high value bikes donated to us, such as the ones pictures below, here in Somerset. Our bikes are all in great condition, fully serviced and ready for years of use here in the UK. Buying a bikes from us pays our mechanics in Africa and buy lots of spares from the bike shops out there, creating prosperity in the countries we work in. ![]()
Photos of all this happening our in Africa over the past few months are below.![]()
Surely this is THE most ethical way to buy your next bike.![]()
Drop us a message of you are looking for one.
We now have a football team named after us!!!!!!![]()
Introducing the Jamie Prodigal Boko Mnemela Sports Club....![]()
Our team out in Tanzania have a real heart for the kids in the community where we sent our bikes in December '24 - Boko Mnemela in coastal Tanzania. As well as monitoring and maintaining the bikes we sent, they started a football team for the kids in Boko. Our Operations Manager Anthony Raybould put the word out that we were looking for football kit, and the public, plus two local Somerset teams from Ilminster and Merriott donated large amounts of old football kit. Jamie Bachelor, a Prodigal Bikes volunteer who was instrumental in delivering the bikes, got some new tops made up with the Prodigal Bikes logo on and the village name, Boko, on the back. All of this got posted out to Tanzania.![]()
Today was the big handover day with the local community leaders. Football appears to be THE most important thing in Tanzania, so the boost this gives to this very poor community cannot be understated. Pictures and video below.![]()
Thanks to everyone who donated the kit and made all these kids so happy.
A big thank you to Leonardo's Leandro Seguro, who is running the Paris Marathon on 12th April, raising money for Prodigal Bikes.![]()
At Prodigal Bikes, over the last 12 months we have been working towards our biggest ever shipment of 360 bikes, going to three projects in Kenya in May this year. The bikes will, once again, help people there with access to far away healthcare, employment and education. We are nearing our target of bikes and fundraising, but we will put all the money raised by Leandro towards funding this shipment.![]()
If you would like to sponsor Leandro, his Just Giving page is here. ![]()
Leandro's fundraiser for Prodigal Bikes
www.justgiving.com
Help Leandro Seguro raise money to support Prodigal Bikes
When we send our containers of bikes off to Africa, we always have a bit of space to pack smaller items too. One thing we send is sewing machines. Have a look at these photos to see what we do with them.
One of our African team members, George Okoth from the Langas Gorofani Luo charity in Eldoret, Kenya, sent us this article today. It is the most comprehesive, perceptive and well researched article we have seen about the many benefits of giving people bikes in Africa and in the developed world.![]()
road.cc
A two-year study from the World Bicycle Relief charity showed significant returns on investment and the bike's power as a "catalytic tool"