Stella’s Voice and Karen Adam MSP Launch ‘Bikes for Christmas’ for a Third Year
Hundreds of children in the North East are set to receive upcycled bikes in time for Christmas, following this year’s launch of the Bikes for Christmas campaign.
Now in it’s third year, the project led by Karen Adam MSP and Stella’s Voice, supported by Nestrans and funded by Transport Scotland, will benefit children from nursery level to primary 3 across Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Karen Adam MSP and Mark Morgan of Stella’s Voice began the scheme to tackle child poverty by removing some of the financial barriers faced by families, and ensure inclusion and independence for every child receiving a bike.
Karen Adam MSP said:
“I’m so proud of our Bikes for Christmas appeal, and seeing it launch it for the third year in a row. It’s been fantastic to work with Mark from Stella’s Voice to deliver hundreds of bikes to children across Banffshire and Buchan Coast and the wider Shire, and I’d like to thank the team of bike engineers, local partners and schools that make this possible.
I hope that the appeal can bring some joy to children and families across the North East this Christmas. We started this to tackle child poverty and give back to our community, and I look forward to continuing this initiative in years to come. My office and I are always here to help if families need support or signposting, so please get in touch.”
At the heart of the scheme is Stella’s Voice, a Peterhead based reuse and recycle charity who collect, restore and upcycle the donated bikes, helping to reduce waste and promote sustainability. All the bikes are refurbished by the hard-working team at Stella’s Voice, and fitted with new safety equipment.
Speaking on the scheme, Mark Morgan said;
“Every child deserves the freedom that comes with having their own bike. Through our Bikes for Christmas appeal, we’re giving new life to bikes that would otherwise go to waste, and putting them straight into the hands of children who wouldn’t otherwise have one. Paired with a new helmet, lock and lights, each bike isn’t just a gift, it’s independence, exercise and joy, wrapped up with the added benefit of keeping usable bikes out of landfill. That’s reuse and recycling at its very best.”
The campaign for 2026 launched on Friday the 4th September at Stella’s Voice, with Mark Morgan and the team of bike mechanics, Karen Adam MSP, Malcolm Grant (Live Life Aberdeenshire), Harry Beaumont (Sport Aberdeen) and Community Policing Officers.
Malcolm Grant, Outdoor Activity Officer & Cycle Aberdeenshire Coordinator said:
“Cycle Aberdeenshire, as the umbrella brand for cycling within Live Life Aberdeenshire, are delighted to again be supporting the Stella’s Voice bike appeal and assisting Primary Schools across Aberdeenshire with bringing this amazing opportunity to their schools in the build up to Christmas 2026.”
The 2026 appeal is supported by Nestrans, with funding from Transport Scotland.
Paul Finch, Director at Nestrans said;
“Nestrans is delighted to support the Recycled Bikes for All project delivered by Stella’s Voice as part of our 26/27 People and Place Programme, a National programme funded by Transport Scotland.
By supporting the wonderful work that Stella’s Voice deliver throughout the year and as part of the Bikes for Christmas campaign, Nestrans is proud to help provide children with equal access to bikes, improving opportunities across the North East.”
Referrals for bikes are submitted through local schools and will be delivered in the coming weeks, in time for Christmas.
Photo (L to R): Malcolm Grant, Orest Tarnavskyi, Mike Munro, Mark Morgan, Karen Adam MSP, PC Masson, PC Munoz-Rose, Harry Beaumont