KAREY SHARP, the owner of The Bike Shop on Glebe Street, is offering a free kids bicycle to a family in need at the end of a difficult year.

He is asking anyone who may have lost their job or taken a heavy financial hit due to the pandemic to reach out.

The bike (available in boy or girl versions) is worth almost £180. But Karey says this is more than a price worth paying to light up someone's Christmas.

"It's been a good year for my business," he tells Nub News. "People have been taking up cycling left, right and centre so we've been able to do really well.

"Then I see good, hard working people who haven't been so lucky and are struggling to keep their business alive. My heart really goes out to them."

Karey is from Tucson, Arizona, where he grew up mountain biking on the so-called 'Guilt Trails' of the surrounding desert.

He moved over to the UK almost 20 years ago to help establish phone directory company '118 118' on these shores.

Since leaving the business and taking over the Bike Shop, he has always maintained a community-oriented mindset.

"We've done this sort of stuff always every year, but it's often difficult to make sure it goes to the right people.

"When we've put out offers like this before, some people take advantage you know. We don't want people to beg, but a brief explanation of the tough year they've had is the only way to know if they're truly in need."

Whenever a business displays generosity, it is common for people to suspect ulterior motives - a sign of these suspicious times.

I asked Karey the extent to which this is an attempt to drum up publicity in the run up to Christmas.

"Honestly, that's something I really worry about. The truth is, I wish we could do it without anybody knowing - as we've tried to in the past - but then we wouldn't be able to find the right people.

"I just fundamentally believe that most people are good people. And if you put a little kindness out there then it'll probably come back around again."

Just as he says this - almost on queue - the bell rings and an old lady walks into the shop.

She says: "You forgot about me, didn't you?"

She had recently chosen a bicycle light from the shelves, but upon arriving at the counter realised she had forgotten her purse.

Karey had let it slide and she was back to pay what she owed.

"Honestly, it wouldn't have broken my heart if she had forgotten to come back - because I would have still helped someone out," he tells me after she leaves. "You've got to do what you can in times like this."

If you have had a difficult year financially due to COVID, please reach out to Karey on 02920 704 524 or email [email protected].