Giving Back: Bury Rickshaw
Alongside the people-based rides, Bury Rickshaw also provide a cargo service which moves unsold food from cafes and supermarkets to homeless projects in the town.
Last year, they delivered more than 2,500 rides around the town.
History and growth
Launched in 2018, the charity began with just one rickshaw, a handful of volunteers and a mission to help local residents to reconnect with nature, their neighbourhoods and the people around them.
Then, with the winter season proving quiet, they added their cargo service to help feed the homeless and fill time during the colder months. More recently, during the pandemic the charity evolved to serve the needs of the local community, delivering prescriptions to those who were vulnerable and providing a lift to vaccination clinics.
Today, they are back to offering joy-rides and food transport, and the charity has grown to include more than 50 volunteers and five specially adapted, eco-friendly electric rickshaws, all operating for 50 weeks a year.
And their work has not gone unnoticed.
They were winners of the 2021 and 2024 Community Awards, and the 2023 Make A Difference Award. In 2022, they also received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, which recognises innovation and achievement in volunteering and is the highest award a volunteer group can achieve.
Feedback and the future
The daughter of a gentleman with dementia who went on a Christmas lights ride said: “Dad and I thoroughly enjoyed our ride – David [their rider] was lovely! We stopped and he took photos, which was a nice reminder for Dad. It was great to see all the lights and go past Dad’s old childhood home too, which he had remembered. All in all, a superb evening.”
A lovely review, but they want to do more.
A spokesperson says: “We would like to extend our offer to additional deserving passengers in need of joy and connection. Currently, we ride for most care homes in the town and, while we love offering this, we are aware that there are some people in town who live alone or whose lives have become restricted. We want to reach out to them, but funding and volunteer recruitment make this a formidable task.”
Each rickshaw costs between £7,000 and £10,000 to buy and more to keep running, so the charity needs lots of community help to keep the service going. Support from local businesses helps them to train volunteers, maintain bikes and reach more people.
Loneliness and isolation are on the rise, especially among older people. Bury St Edmunds Rickshaw gives people a chance to get outside, have a chat and feel part of something bigger.
It’s not just a ride – it’s a reason to smile.
GET IN TOUCH
For more information, please get in touch. Bury Rickshaw has a team of friendly volunteers who will help with anything you might like to ask!
T: 01284 339449 (Mon to Fri / 9am – 12 noon)
E: admin@bserickshaw.org.uk
Or visit www.bserickshaw.org.uk
