A bicycle is for life, not just for Christmas

Tens of thousands of bicycles around the country currently lie hidden - wrapped and ready to take a star turn on Christmas morning, but after the initial squeals of delight, how many are destined to languish unused in garden sheds or end their days cast aside in roadside verges?

It is estimated that up to 100,000 bicycles in Britain each year are abandoned and many times more this number lie unused in garden sheds.

Battersea Cogs Home has been rescuing, restoring and rehoming abandoned bicycles since its launch on 1st April 2011.

Xmas appeal: Show your bicycle you care

Abandoned, abused, neglected. Such is the fate for many thousands of bicycles. And the rusting frames and buckled wheels that litter town centres and hedgerows around Britain are testament to this growing problem. Each abandoned bicycle would tell a different story, but in every case the once-proud machine is neglected and unloved…

The better a bike is cared for the less likely it is to end its days at Battersea Cogs Home. A cycle insurance policy from the ETA is as good a start to life as any for a bicycle as it attends to almost every aspect of its wellbeing.

This Christmas, show your bicycle you care. If it's damaged in the course of riding, or through an act of deliberate vandalism, ETA pays for the bike to be repaired or replaced. Every policy includes new-for-old replacement in the event of theft and third party insurance (in the case of an accident you may need to seek compensation or even deal with a claim by someone else). The insurance also includes personal accident cover, race event cover (theft and accidental damage) and if you suffer a mechanical breakdown, a van will be sent to recover you and your bike. Electric bicycles can also be covered. Includes 90 days’ worldwide cover.

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