UNWANTED bicycles from Horwich are changing the lives of people in Africa in an innovative project linking local churches with Namibia.

For several years Holy Trinity Church in Horwich has been twinned with the parish of Okathitu and 10 years ago they teamed up with the Bicycling Empowerment Network to ensure voluntary health workers, dealing with an HIV/AIDS pandemic in the isolated rural community, received bicycles to help make their work easier.

Within two months parishioners had raised the money needed to buy 44 refurbished bicycles, head-torches and umbrellas for the workers.

Since then the project has grown, with a bicycle workshop, set up in an old shipping container, run in the African town by retired priest, Father Lazarus's daughter. Hilya Ekandjo, sells maintains and repairs bicycles, donating some to families too poor to afford them.

Back in England Holy Trinity church members have continued their two wheeled challenge and last year assistant curate Caroline Tracey gathered together more than 40 unwanted bicycles, delivering them to Halfords at Middlebrook where staff refurbished them ready to be shipped out to Africa.

Since then dozens more bicycles have been dropped off at the shop to be donated to the international bicycle charity.

"Any bicycle will be taken, no matter what the condition," said Rav Tracey, who has travelled to Namibia herself to see the project in action.

"The bicycles make such a difference," she said, adding that people in Okathitu now find it easier to travel through the bush, reaching remote homesteads and clinics and children can now ride to school instead of facing long journeys on foot.

"For small beginnings the project has grown in unimaginable ways," said Rev Tracey.

Profits from the bicycle workshop have enabled a brick making business to be set up employing local people and an old coach has been bought and renovated, providing a transport service over longer distances.

Parishioners in Horwich have also been helping their Namibian friends in other ways - fundraising to provide solar lights and laptops for the community.

Church member Michael Foster has even been providing IT training via distance learning over the internet.

"These developments are helping to reduce the terrible poverty which is still a severe problem, but a start has been made," said Rev Tracey.

In the meantime she is hoping more people with unwanted bicycles in their garages and sheds will wheel them out and donate them to the worthy cause.