Glen Innes Bike Hub burglary

Phillippa from St Heliers

The new Bike Hub in Glen Innes was burgled this week and nearly 20 bikes stolen. This excellent community facility needs our help. Please read their post below and if you can help, let them know on bikehub@ecomatters.org.nz The Bike Hub is in the shipping containers in Maybury Reserve.

Dear friends and community,

Sadly, our new Glen Innes Bike Hub was broken into somewhere between the 2nd and 5th of January. We had nearly 20 bikes stolen, and all our tools and spare parts! Probably the most tragic aspect to this, is that they stole our unique and fun novelty bikes...that have helped to entertain thousands of people from all over Auckland in recent years!! This includes a rare, hand-made mini Penny Farthing, a three wheel recumbent (fondly known as the ‘drift’ trike), and our Orange County Chopper!! (see attached photos)

To all the kind members of the community who alerted us to the break-in, and to those who have reported seeing or recovered some of the bikes/equipment as well...thank you...we are grateful for your support!!

Unfortunately, due to these events, we are unable to re-open again as planned on the 9th of January, however we are committed to being up and running again starting on Thursday the 16th of January...so if you need us...please be patient...we will be back!

One bike has already been recovered trying to be traded, and there are reports of seeing some of the novelty bikes around the neighbourhood. So, If this message is able to be communicated to anyone who knows about this or was involved in some way, then we would say this…”we are not attached to these things as material possessions...its the smile on the faces of people (young and old), who may never get the chance to try riding such wonderful bikes...that we truly treasure!”.

We would be grateful if anyone has information about the possible whereabouts, to contact us (bikehub@ecomatters.org.nz), or it would just be cool if they could be returned, no questions asked! Please share this post amongst the community, in the hope that we may recover some of these items!

Also, to help us get back on our feet, we would be grateful for the ongoing support of donated bikes! So with the New Year now underway, if you have old or unused bikes, or know someone who does, then we would be grateful to have them donated to us -just pop them in when we open again (re-opening again on the 16th of January, then open every Thursday to Sunday, 10-2) or contact us to make an arrangement. Our GI bike hub is located on Maybury reserve, access off Taniwha St (in the shipping containers).

This is a blow to our charitable service...but we will bounce back! In the few weeks that we have been open before xmas, we have been encouraged by the large number of people who have visited us and benefited from our service, or supported with a donation!

With Love...the EcoMatters Bike Hub team!

(Attached are some photos of the stolen bikes -in the hope they will be recognized...and just a small sample of the many smiling faces from people who have enjoyed trying them!)

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