Putting sustainability, poverty reduction, and tenant wellbeing at the heart of social housing
West of Scotland Housing Association (WSHA) is a social housing organisation providing over 4000 homes across the West of Scotland.
WSHA has been recognised for its sustainable innovation within the Scottish social housing sector. For example, by installing heat source pumps, infrared wallpaper and solar panels in the association’s homes and main office. The organisation has also launched the largest development of affordable Passivhaus standard homes through its subsidiary, Westscot Living.
WSHA puts sustainability, poverty reduction, and tenant health and wellbeing at the heart of everything it does. One circular solution WSHA has implemented that addresses these three essential areas is the organisation’s free Bike Repairs Project.
CIRCULAR RESULTS
Rethink resources: Taking items that in a linear economy would be wasted, and extending their lifecycle by sharing, reusing, maintaining and refurbishing them.
Collaboration: Working with charities and the local community to make circularity and sustainability accessible to all.
HOW THEY DID IT
WSHA noticed an issue in the local community: bikes that could be repaired and reused were being abandoned and discarded.
After interacting with members of the local community, WSHA discovered a lack of access to working bikes. Numerous people reported having underused and broken bikes in their homes and gardens, often because they did not have the funds or means to repair them. Many community members also shared that they would like to cycle but have no access to a bike.
This prompted WSHA to set up the Barrowfield Community Centre Bike Repair Project in 2024, through its charitable subsidiary, Willowacre Trust. The project started off as a small pop-up project and has now become a permanent base within the community.
Bikes are donated and the team then repairs approximately eight per month, giving bikes that would otherwise be discarded or left unused to adults and children in the community.
The bikes are repaired by volunteers made up of tenants and members of the local community with an interest in cycling. These volunteers are upskilled and trained, with four volunteers achieving their Silver Velotech bike maintenance qualification, and Cycle Leader and First Aid Training. This project enables volunteers to gain valuable skills and expertise in bike maintenance and repairs while helping foster a sense of community in the local area.
Funding from Cycling Scotland has enabled volunteers to build their own set of tools, giving them the opportunity to repair bikes outside of weekly drop-in times. This enabled a stock of bikes to be repaired and shared out for Christmas.
The Bike Repair Project is underpinned by circularity principles. By repairing and preserving these bikes, products are being kept in circulation for an extended length of time. It has also greatly increased cycling in the local community, benefitting tenant health and wellbeing and promoting active travel.
The project has been greatly successful in achieving WSHA’s aims of sustainability, poverty reduction, and tenant health and wellbeing, and aims to expand further to replicate the project in two new communities, Springburn and Woodlands.
WSHA’s Bike Repairs Project highlights that circularity can be accessible for all regardless of background or circumstances.
LEARN MORE
Click here to learn more about West of Scotland Housing Association.