True North Bike Club launches a new community hub, open to all, bikes or no bikes.

Shropshire Star

The True North project by the True North Biker Club today held an event to launch it's new community hub, and were joined by the Telford Mayor.

Transcript

00:00So we're here in Tiddington and Dan Wharton, hello sir.

00:03Oh yeah.

00:04So Dan, you represent True North Project.

00:07Yep.

00:08And it's Unit 9 behind us there, that's kind of your base.

00:11It is, yes.

00:11What is the True North Project, Woody?

00:13So the True North Project has been given birth by giving back to the community.

00:20Not only giving back to the community, but also growing the community.

00:25I run True North Bikers, which is a riding group in Shropshire.

00:28We give back to the community.

00:32From that, we've done True North Project, which will be officially served.

00:43So what will this space be then?

00:46What will be happening here and who will be welcome here?

00:48So everyone's welcome, the whole community.

00:51Doesn't matter if you ride a bike or do not ride a bike.

00:54Families, children.

00:56We will be doing mental health training.

00:58Here, we'll be doing suicide awareness training here.

01:01And just generally having and building that community.

01:05I'm intrigued as to where the True North Bikers name comes from.

01:09Where's the True North coming to it?

01:10So True North, there's two sayings.

01:12One of them is a veteran saying.

01:14The other one is a mental health saying.

01:16So a veteran saying is, when you're lost, True North is find your way home.

01:22The mental health saying is, everyone's got an internal compass.

01:26So when it's wavering, True North is find your way.

01:30So True North Bikers, we will help you find your way.

01:33Oh wow, I've just learned something new.

01:35I like that, I like that.

01:36So is there quite a lot of veterans that are part of True North Bikers then?

01:39There is, yes.

01:40Yeah.

01:41There is, yeah.

01:41And obviously you do find, you know, they've been through a lot.

01:45I hope we've got another one on the right.

01:46And there is kind of a lot of issues with mental health, isn't there, with veterans?

01:51Yeah, it's just veterans in general.

01:53Yeah, yeah.

01:54They're very lost at the moment.

01:56So what we're trying to do is to bring that back out.

02:00We have also created the Steve Rawlings project, which will be a YouTube channel.

02:07Yeah.

02:07So that will be veterans telling their stories.

02:11And then today we've got the mayor down.

02:15We have.

02:15Eileen, she's going to be officially launching the project sort of thing.

02:18And then what else is happening?

02:20I couldn't smell something cooking.

02:21Yes, we've got the good old barbecue going on.

02:24Cool.

02:24We've got the kids upstairs messing about playing pool.

02:28We've got the darts being thrown.

02:31And how many members have you got bikers of True North Bikers?

02:35With the community and the riding group, we've got just over a thousand people.

02:40Wow, that's massive, isn't it?

02:41Yeah, yeah.

02:42So we must stress, this project, this new project is open.

02:46You haven't got to have a bike to be part of it.

02:47No.

02:48And if people want to find out a little bit more, how do they?

02:50Just go onto the community page.

02:52Yeah.

02:52And what we'll be doing is obviously the events we'll be putting up on there.

02:57It won't be open 24-7.

02:59It'll obviously be open at set times, probably later on in the evenings.

03:03But if anybody does need anything at any point, 24-7, the page is always open.

03:08And my number is always open as well.

03:10Great stuff.

03:11Well, thanks for all you're doing.

03:12Good work in the community, Danny.

03:14It's much needed.

03:15And people like you are there to pick up where other services is.

03:18It's everybody.

03:18It's not just myself.

03:19It's everybody in True North.

03:20Yeah, yeah.

03:21It's not just me.

03:22I can hand on heart, turn around and say it's the whole of True North.

03:25They aren't the same mentality.

03:27That's off to True North.

03:28So we're here with newly elected Mayor, Eileen.

03:31It's second job in the mayoral duties.

03:35Second official event, yeah.

03:36It couldn't be better.

03:37It's a lovely day to end the back out again.

03:38It is, isn't it?

03:39Yeah, they did promise that you'd come back out this afternoon.

03:42What do you think of what you've heard, Danny?

03:43What Dan and the gang are trying to do down here at True North?

03:46It's absolutely fabulous.

03:48I've been chatting to some of the guys here when I arrived.

03:51And they've been telling me about the importance of some of the work that's been going on here.

03:55It's a space for them.

03:57So it's got the things that they love, the interest that they've got with the motorbikes and all different things.

04:02But also, it's just got that sort of company that they need.

04:08The people here really up for supporting each other through all kinds of different things.

04:13Mental health issues, different kinds of struggles.

04:17And it's just really, really nice to hear the message that is coming from all of the people here today for this open day.

04:25About how important the work that is going on here is and it's going to be.

04:30And they're hoping to build on that, obviously, over the future.

04:32So I'll be looking to support that.

04:35Now, I did ask.

04:36I thought the answer was probably going to be no.

04:38But I asked anyway.

04:39I said, Eileen, are you a biker?

04:40And you actually used to have a dabble on the motocross?

04:43I've ridden motocross bikes before, yeah.

04:46The last time wasn't that successful.

04:47So I did fall off and graze my chin quite badly.

04:50That made you reconsider your motocross career.

04:53Yeah.

04:54And I've never really done the road bikes.

04:57But I've got my eldest son who's a real motorbike fan.

05:01So he loves motocross riding.

05:03But he also likes road bikes.

05:05So it's just a bit of a heart attack when you're the mom of a bike.

05:09I can well imagine, yeah, yeah.

05:11But it's a close-knit community, isn't it, the bikers?

05:13So it's nice to see them using that to some good use.

05:16It is.

05:17But they're such a lovely group.

05:19And I think sometimes people get the wrong impression about people that ride motorbikes.

05:22So they're a really friendly and sort of helpful group.

05:29So all of the people that I spoke to today have been so lovely.

05:32And they're just really, really trying to support each other as best as they can around the interests that they share.

05:41But you couldn't meet a more lovely group of guests than so.

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