Kind-hearted handyman donates bikes to Ukrainian refugees living in Harborough

A handyman has been servicing and donating bikes to Ukrainian refugees living in Harborough.

Oliver Marabella works at Halfords on Rockingham Road and was in the store when a customer handed in two old bikes they no longer wanted.

The bikes stayed in the store for a few months until Oliver had the idea to donate them to a good cause.

After getting the green light from his manager he serviced them in his free time and posted about the bikes on a local refugee Facebook group.

They were quickly snapped up by a refugee host for the Ukranian family he was housing, and as word spread more refugee hosts began bringing in their old bikes for check-ups and servicing so they could be donated to families they were hosting.

Oliver has so far worked on nearly 30 bikes at his own expense and in his own time.

He said: "I saw an opportunity to help and I took it. I knew that something that was quite easy for me to do in my spare time would make a big difference to these families.

“I hoped that by bringing these bikes back to life I was able to offer just a little bit of happiness and for me, that was more than enough."

The host of a Ukranian family said: “Oli to me is a hero and ambassador of good will in our community. His selfless, thoughtful and kind actions will have made the lives of many Ukrainian refugees and their hosts that little bit more logistically lighter.”