Bike Tool Library with New Forest Off Road Club

The New Forest Off Road Club are running their Bike Tool Library at The Old School House on Thursday 8 October, from 7pm to 9pm. It's a drop-in workshop session, part of a bi-weekly series they hold on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. The idea is simple: you bring your own bike and work on it alongside other people, using the club's inventory of bike stands and tools, with volunteers on hand to share what they know. It's as much about the social side as the mechanical, with people working side by side rather than just getting a job done in isolation.

Beyond the workshops, the club is planning a tool loan system that will let people borrow equipment to use at home, so you don't have to buy a full set of tools for the occasional fix. There's also a broader aim to the project: breaking down stereotypes about who can repair and maintain bikes, with a particular focus on encouraging more women to feel confident fixing and riding them. It's a community project run by the club and supported by funding from BCP Council.

The sessions are hosted at The Old School House in Boscombe, a non-profit heritage building run by The Old School House Company. It's an inclusive, accessible space used for workshops, performances and community gatherings, with step-free access, onsite parking and kitchen facilities. The address is Gladstone Mews, Gladstone Road, Bournemouth, BH7 6BG. The session runs from 7pm to 9pm on Thursday 8 October, and it's free to attend.