Most recently, Baz Clarke and his team at the Cycle Guild of Medicine Hat donated six bicycles to Saamis Immigration Services Association.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Less than one month after rebranding, the Cycle Guild of Medicine Hat is looking for a new home.
The Cycle Guild is a non-profit organization which provides bicycles to individuals in need, of all ages, at no cost. For the past year, Cycle Guild has been operating out of a workshop on Safety City’s property, however the organization’s tenure will come to an end May 20, prompting the search for a new workshop and storage space.
“We thank Safety City for letting us use the premises for the last year,” Baz Clarke, Cycle Guild president and chair, told the News. “We had a good year with them, but all good things must come to an end.”
Both Clarke and Safety City chair Ron Pennington agree the split is amicable. Pennington says potential upcoming changes within Safety City are largely the reason behind the decision.
“Safety City has been on the Stampede grounds for the past 41 years,” Pennington said. “So, we’re actually starting to go down the path ourselves of looking to relocate and the possibility of tying in with other groups which are volunteer, youth oriented.
“With the Cycle Guild, they’re doing some very good things in the community. I think they did over 150 bikes last year. We just wish them all the best.”
Cycle Guild is now on the hunt for a new location and is appealing to the public for assistance.
“We need storage space and a workshop facility, preferably together,” said Clarke. “It would be nice, also, to get something permanent. We’re reaching out to the city and other agencies but, obviously, there’s only so many charity dollars to go around.
“If there’s anyone out there who can help us out, either financially, or help us to rent places, or anybody who’s got a space they can give us for an intermediate period of time, it would really be appreciated.”
The Cycle Guild needs storage space for approximately 100 bicycles at any given time and enough room to accommodate 15 bikes under construction.
The organization is also requesting cash donations to cover moving expenses and short-term rental fees.
“We’re rich in the fact we’ve got a good handful of volunteers who put a lot of work and effort in and we’ve got lots of stuff, but haven’t got any money at the moment,” Clarke said.
Clarke and his team can be contacted via the Cycle Guild of Medicine Hat’s Facebook page.
