THE natural disaster in Haiti in 1997 killed more than 400 people.

The damaged crops, destroyed homes and desperation on the faces of those who survived inspired bike enthusiasts in Colchester to respond.

A year later, Re-Cycle, the town's bike recycling charity, was born and this year marks its 20th birthday.

With a desire to help people in disadvantaged parts of the world, Re-Cycle set about working to provide the much needed transport to people who needed it.

The idea was to take unwanted bikes from the UK and ship them to Africa, where partners would refurbish and distribute them.

With help from the community and Colchester Council, in July 1998 Re-Cycle finally had enough bikes to fill a container.

To guarantee the donated bikes would be used in the most impactful way, Re-Cycle developed a relationship with Afribike, a charity in South Africa created to provide free bikes and bike repairs to poor rural residents.

It means they can access jobs and other opportunities outside their area.

Re-Cycle today accepts donated bikes at 100 places across the UK, which are then transported to its headquarters in Wormingford.

The team of 35 volunteers prepares and compacts the bikes to be shipped.

Those that are of poor quality are often stripped of good parts and shipped and unsuitable bikes (such as racing bikes) are sold for much needed income to support running costs.

The money generated covers import costs and the costs of paying mechanics.

Re-Cycle also invests in helping its partners set up workshops and refurbishing facilities.

Today, Re-cycle has sent 98,403 bikes to 15 of the poorest countries in Africa.

Volunteers work between a day or two days, a few hours at a time or on an ad-hoc basis.

Some also collect bikes from donors and unload them.

It costs £46 to send a bike to Africa and with each container containing 500, the total cost to send a container is £23,000.

The charity's running costs for 2016 were £535,000.

Claire Kettle, Re-Cycle’s operations manager spoke, about their achievements and why the charity is still going strong.

She said: “We are all very proud to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary.

"It’s not easy to get the containers out to our partners in Africa but we have done some amazing work over the last 20 years.

"Not only limited to sending bikes but also building workshops and providing bicycle maintenance training in Africa too.

"There is still a massive need for sustainable transport in places like Ghana and Gambia, so we are aiming to send 100,000 bikes to Africa by the end of this month.

"To help us reach this milestone, please think about donating your disused bike to Re-Cycle this summer.

"Many people in Africa still have no access to transport of any kind and people spend hours each day walking to collect water or to get to school or employment.

"A bike makes such a big difference.”

To donate a bike to Re-Cycle, go to their website www.re-cycle.org to find your nearest drop-off point or visit their warehouse at The Grove Estate, Wormingford, Colchester.