Center Parcs donating retired bikes through recycling partnership

Center Parcs is donating thousands of retired bikes to communities in Africa, with the first load of bikes landing in The Gambia last month.

In partnership with charity Re-Cycle, Center Parcs will donate more than 1,000 bikes in 2026 as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and building better worlds.

Marking the initiative, Center Parcs Elveden Forest has installed a huge display made up of hundreds of individual bicycles to represent the bikes being donated to communities in need.

Consisting of 200 bikes, the new display represents just a fraction of the bikes that will be donated to Africa. Center Parcs has already donated 400 bikes from its retired fleet, with more collections scheduled for this month.

Per a press release, Center Parcs is committed to recycling its used bicycles, sending them to communities in Africa to "provide long-lasting improvement to livelihoods".

On its commitment to creating a positive impact that extends beyond its guests, Ellie Stevenson, corporate sustainability manager at Center Parcs, said: "At Center Parcs, we are committed to building better worlds both at our villages and in wider communities."

Synonymous with the Center Parcs experience, its 15,000-strong fleet of bikes needs regular upgrading, with the used bicycles finding new homes where they can make a difference.

"The fleet of bikes across our villages cycle thousands of miles in their lifetime through our glorious woodland cycle routes, and are kept in great condition by our dedicated bike mechanics," Stevenson said.

400 bikes donated to date

"Through this meaningful partnership with Re-Cycle, we can ensure that as we update the fleets for our village guests, we are also ensuring our well-loved bikes can make a real difference elsewhere."

Charlotte Ward, director at Re-Cycle, said the donation of "good as new" bikes "will genuinely transform people's lives".

She added: "Providing communities with bikes gives them crucial access to education by offering safe routes to and from school, as well as opening up opportunities for jobs and income.

"A bike can also help a person carry up to five times more safe drinking water to their homes. Every donation has a huge positive impact and we’re thankful to Center Parcs for their support."