Meet Maggie and Nola
Described as a “couch on wheels”, our Triobikes, Maggie and Nola have brought passengers joy for the last two summers. They have two safety belts and can carry two passengers each time.
Up to now, we have worked predominantly with Rest Homes and Retirement Villages but are now expanding services to include weekend events that can cater to Agency events, such as for Age Concern, Disability Training Services (DTS) Napier, Brain Injury Hawkes Bay, Multiple Sclerosis Society (MS), and Dementia Hawkes Bay.
Our first triobike—imported from Denmark arrived in May 2022.
We named this triobike MAGGIE to recognise the major donor who enabled us to get the triobike funded coupled with a grant from Eastern & Central Community Trust and our Trustees’ contributions. Seeing the actual triobike enabled Care and Rest Homes to appreciate and understand how it could improve their residents’ lives.
Based on the demand, it wasn’t long before a second triobike was needed. We are very grateful for Eastern & Central Community Trust helping to again fund our second triobike. We also thank Pub Charity, The Lion Foundation and Higgins Bequest Trust as new funders to CWA Napier” to complete the financing of NOLA. It was received and commissioned in 2023. Our second triobike is named NOLA, after our oldest passenger at 99 who was also our first regular weekly passenger in 2022. Once we knew we were successfully fundraising for the second triobike, we asked Nola’s family if they would permit the triobike to be called ‘Nola’, after their Mum passed away in January 2023. They all agreed.
Neil Edmundson, her son wrote:
I write in support of the work being done by the Cycling Without Age Napier Trust. The work the Trust does enriching the lives of the elderly who are otherwise immobile and restricted in their ability to get out in the community is absolutely fantastic. During the last six months, my elderly mother (who has just passed away) was the recipient of their service. The joy of the ride into the community and more importantly the interaction with the rider so enriched her life and made her weekly meetings with Alan, the highlight of her week. I can only reiterate that the work that this Trust is doing is providing major health and welfare benefits to all those who partake of their service.
Meet Joy
Our latest trishaw, received in May 2024, is an electric VeloPlus tricycle produced by Van Raam in The Netherlands. It is designed to carry passengers in their own wheelchairs and has unsurprisingly been named Joy; to reflect the smiles and the joy our rides give to those passengers who have been unable to enjoy the Triobikes to “feel the wind in their hair”. Thank you to our funders: Pub Charity, Lottery Grants Board for HB Community, Hawke’s Bay Foundation, Rotary Greenmeadows and several private donors.
JOY has a unique loading platform for easy access for the wheelchair.
The loading ramp tilts which means the wheelchair can be winched onto the platform without the use of additional ramps. Passengers remain in their own wheelchairs which are then pulled onto JOY in a safe and secure manner by a winch which is an integral part of the trishaw.
The wheelchair is secured into place using motor transport clamping systems and an inertia seatbelt. Wheelchairs up to a maximum width of 74cm can be transported safely on the cycle. It is fitted with hydraulic disc brakes with a parking feature, wheelchair lock and full seatbelt anchored to JOY.
Passengers on JOY should bring their own blankets, hats and scarves that they would normally use on a wheelchair ride outside.
Triobike passengers may find warm hats in springtime or Autumn could help reduce any chill, notwithstanding the incredibly warm duffel blanket with handwarmers which is supplied. In summertime, hats to protect from the sun are a good idea.
