True Meaning of Upcycling at Christmas

This week saw Variety Ireland celebrate the successful delivery of yet another preloved special mobility trike, to a special school in Blanchardstown, Dublin, thanks to the wonderful help of a young man called Tadhg.

As part of Variety Ireland’s “Recycle Mobility Programme”,  which was created by the charity with the kind support of Minister Anne Rabbitte Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and Minister Eamon Ryan from The Department of Transport, means that families with children with disabilities can apply to Variety Ireland for support funding towards the cost of a special mobility trike for their child. This ensures children with disabilities have equal access to cycling with their friends and family.

In a report carried out by Dr Jolanta Burke of The RCSI, shows special  mobility trikes can improve the physical and mental well-being of both the child and extended family members by up to 87.5%

Variety Ireland’s Recycle Mobility Programme also means that children hand back their old trike to the charity once they have outgrown it, and then pass it onto a child or group of children with disabilities, so they too can get to experience the joys of cycling.

Tadhg recently received a new trike as part of Variety Ireland’s Recycle Mobility Programme and kindly decided to donate his old trike to children at Danu Special Community Special School in Dublin 15.

This type of upcycling means we can extend the life of preloved trikes ensuring they are passed onto other children to enjoy. From an environmental aspect it also stops old trikes reaching harmful landfill sites around the county.

On hand at Danu Special School was Minister Jack Chambers from The Department of Transport, who along with Minister Anne Rabbitte have extended funding towards our Recycle Mobility Programme into 2024. We also had a chance to meet with local Councillors JK Onwumereh, Cllr Howard Mahony, Cllr Tom Kitt and Cllr. Lorna Nolan.

This means even more children with disabilities can now have access to funding for their own special mobility trike. This will allow them to enjoy cycling in parks and all our new Greenways across Ireland.

As a charity that strongly advocates and implements sustainability at the heart of everything we do, we are delighted to announce we have passed on 42 preloved special trikes to children and special schools around Ireland in 2023

Danu Special School offers a positive learning environment for children with special needs that enables every student to reach their full potential and gain the skills and tools necessary to engage in school life as well as life outside of school.

Well done Tadhg for thinking of others children at Christmas time. Your special gift means the wonderful children at Danu School and enjoy and experience fun cycling actives together. What a kind gift from such a wonderful young man!!

On behalf of all at Variety Ireland, we would like to wish Tadhg, Minister Jack Chambers and all the wonderful staff and children at Danu School a very Happy Christmas!!