A life changing bike: Meet Fnan Okube Kidane

Fnan arrived in the UK in December 2020 as an Asylum Seeker from Eritrea. When the former school teacher arrived in Huddersfield he was supported by the award-winning Welcome Mentor programme and the charity DASH (Destitute Asylum Seekers Huddersfield) to begin building a new life in the town.

We caught up with Fnan to hear how receiving a bike through Welcome Mentor’s CityConnect grant funded project means he can support more asylum seekers arriving into Huddersfield.

“I was a high school teacher in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea. I loved the cycling culture there and used my bike every day, to get to work, to see my friends and family and for exercise.

When I arrived in Huddersfield I had been on a long journey and did not have very much with me. I felt very alone. I was put in touch with Steffi from the Welcome Mentor programme and they supported me with housing, my legal documents, food parcels and finding employment”

The Welcome Mentor programme was set up in 2019 to help refugees, asylum seekers and migrants settle in Kirklees. Steffi Rogers, the programme coordinator, explains:

“Asylum seekers and migrants are often vulnerable when placed in our communities, as they often lack the language and support networks to help them access services and integrate in the community, this can leave them isolated.”

The support offered to Fnan during this time inspired him to become a volunteer for these projects offering translation, advice and reassurance to new arrivals.

With funding from community grant from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s CityConnect programme, Welcome Mentors have been working with local charity Streetbikes to offer reconditioned bikes to asylum seekers who require transport to access opportunities available to them. So far 20 bikes have been given out, with a further 30 waiting for a suitable bike to be ready.

Fnan received his bike in August 2021.

“When I first started volunteering I was walking for miles and miles every day, I could only volunteer for one session per day as it took me so long to get there and back.

“Having this bike means I can volunteer more often at more places in Huddersfield, I meet lots of people who are in the same situation that I was and I like that I can help them the way I was helped.

“I can also get to all of my appointments, I do not need to use taxis to get groceries and I can stay healthy.

“I couldn’t live my life as I do now without this bike, getting it has made my new life easier and happier, everyone who I welcome into Huddersfield wants one.”