At The Bike Project, we are lucky enough to work with a pool of businesses who share our passion for cycling, and in turn, believe in the transformative power it can unleash within the lives of refugees and people seeking asylum. This is especially true of our corporate partner, SunGod.
SunGod, a B Corp company, are not only a global and innovative powerhouse in manufacturing cycling and other high-performance sunglasses, but also an entity that leads with their passion for supporting some of the most marginalised groups in the world through their volunteering and fundraising work.
Our collaboration started in 2021, with an art-led project at its core. Our Trustee and bike recipient, Comfort, became one of the key figures involved. The SunGod team visited the Deptford workshop, where they got to know members of our passionate community, filmed and took photos with us and revealed to Comfort the fruits of her creative labour – a microfibre pouch donning her illustration. This rendered her speechless. You can share that moment by watching the video here.
“To me The Bike Project, they make the impossible possible for asylum seekers – they gave us wings,” – Comfort, Trustee and bike recipient
The illustration featured a cyclist with white wings going across the sea – encompassing the feelings of freedom that Comfort felt whenever she rode on her bike. This important experience is something which many of those we support have felt when cycling to places that were inaccessible to them before, whether due to lack of funds or long distances. SunGod’s partnership with us ensures that we can continue to spread this message, as well as provide ‘wings’ for more people seeking safety.
These microfibre pouches – which were made from 100% recycled plastic bottles – were sold for £4 with every pair of Pace Series sunglasses on the SunGod website, and in mid-2023, the pouches completely sold out.
Since then, our partnership has blossomed even further. In 2023, SunGod celebrated their 10-year anniversary (as did we!) and to mark the occasion, they gave their community the chance to decide how a funding pot of £10,000 would be split between their charity partners. Thanks to your votes we received £2,559.20, meaning we had the second highest number of votes!
“We are proud to collaborate with The Bike Project to commit to a positive change in the world. With the support of our customers, it is fantastic to see the impact our donations have made, to provide a lifeline to those in need.” – Emma Jackson, Head of Partner Activations at SunGod
On top of this, throughout the month of August, SunGod are incorporating The Bike Project into their LiteTM Packaging scheme, in which customers can opt for lighter packaging, meaning they’re helping to reduce the weight and waste of their order in the shipping process. For every unit of LiteTM Packaging shipped, SunGod will donate £1.50 to The Bike Project. You can learn more about this here.
Lastly on World Bicycle Day in June this year, SunGod ran a campaign on Instagram which donated £1 for every like from the community, raising an incredible £1,419 for The Bike Project.
Through their activities so far, SunGod alone have raised over £24,000 for The Bike Project. That’s right – £24,000! That is equivalent to supporting 160 refugees and people seeking asylum in receiving a refurbished bike, or teaching 84 refugee women how to cycle through our Pedal Power programme.
“Our partnership with SunGod, especially through their Lite™ Packaging scheme, has been a great support for The Bike Project. The funds raised have helped us continue our work with refugees and people seeking asylum. We appreciate SunGod’s commitment to reducing waste while making a positive impact in our community.”
Lizzie Kenyon, CEO of The Bike Project
Thank you, SunGod, for what you and your community are making possible in our workshops every week and for helping us be together with refugees. Thank you also to everyone who has been part of this partnership, whether you purchased a microfibre pouch, shared the Ten for Ten campaign and more.
If you’re looking for a cool pair of sunglasses, why not consider purchasing them from SunGod here, and make sure to opt for LiteTM packaging so that £1.50 goes to The Bike Project. This fantastic campaign runs until the end of August.
