Mike 'Puffa' Jones was on our team's radar a little while ago when he was shortlisted for the South Wales Argus Sports Award for 'Outstanding Services to Sports.'
What started as an e-bay bike purchase of £2.50 for his grandkids in 2019 snowballed into a charity project of recycling and reusing donated bikes for those in need. Working from his garden and with support from local bike clubs, MTB and The Principality Building Society to name but a few, in just 12 months Mike has fixed and distributed more than 500 bikes to those who desperately need them but can't nessecarily afford them in Newport and beyond.
Mike is currently working on building adult balance bikes after a request from a special needs school in Cardiff, opening up a whole new world of adventure and exploration for groups of people locally. He's also managing to meet the demand for bikes for primary schools in Newport, enabling youngsters to work on their cycling proficiency.
This Christmas we're donating £250 worth of cycling vouchers for Mike which will go towards buying bits and pieces to help get more of the bikes roadworthy.
Mike is genuinely a selfless guy; all his 'spare' time is devoted to this project which makes him pretty special in our books.
A big shout out and Merry Christmas to those individuals who make such a difference in their communities!
If you want to donate or find out more, follow @Puffajones on twitter.