WESTMINSTER WHEELS TRAINEE SINCE 2023
I was unemployed and I went through a probation program which took me to Westminster Wheels: I grew up cycling a lot – I like my bikes – and my motorbikes as well!
I found Westminster Wheels something that I liked and went from there. I’ve always been a hands-on guy and this was a very hands-on job… I started refurbishing bikes and that’s one thing that sort of catches my eye a lot: seeing something that’s old or coming in as scrap: stripping it down, putting it back together again, giving it another life. It captured my attention. It’s like coming into a new world, to be honest!
I felt very supported. Barny, Tomasz and the whole team at Westminster Wheels helped with a lot of things: we clicked very well. Even now, they’ve got a WhatsApp group chat and if I have any cycle issues; you get the whole Westminster Wheels saying; “do this, do that”!
Then there was Annabel at Cycle Confident: I did a six-month City and Guilds qualification level 1 and 2, and Annabel taught us a lot. It was challenging at times, so she had a lot of patience with me, to be honest!
One thing that Groundwork did was they helped me move to carry on working with mechanics. Balfe’s Bikes was an opportunity they put me up for and I took it on… The first opportunity I tried for. Westminster Wheels helped me to move on to this apprenticeship that I’m doing now: a Cytech Level 3 with Balfe’s Bikes, Notting Hill.
The grand plan is to stay at Balfe’s and see where I go from there… Hopefully looking forward: I open my own store! Thank you very much to Groundwork, the team at Westminster Wheels and Balfe’s for taking me on.”