Inside Time: Bamboozling way to build bikes

The national newspaper for prisoners covers our innovative workshop course at HMP Lowdham Grange.

Innovative workshop course provides ray of light at troubled jail

Pandas eat it. Schoolchildren used to be caned with it. But now prisoners at Lowdham Grange have found a surprising new use for bamboo – making bicycles out of it.

In a workshop at the Cat-B men's prison, six prisoners at a time learn how to construct the bikes. When they complete the six-week course, another group take their place; there is a waiting list for the popular activity.

The scheme is the brainchild of engineer James Marr, who founded the Bamboo Bicycle Club. He says bamboo has the same tensile strength as steel yet can be cut and shaped with hand tools, making it ideal for use in a prison workshop.

In the community, people pay Mr Marr's company £695 for lessons in how to make a bamboo bike. Some of the profits go towards funding the prison course. Bikes made on the course are taken apart in the final week so that the materials can be reused by the next group.

Three prisoners have been trained as instructors and help in the workshop. Men who complete the course successfully receive a Level 2 certificate in Sustainable Design and Manufacturing. They may also become eligible for the 'Build to Bond' follow-up course, in which a prisoner can make a children's bamboo bike to gift to their own son, daughter, nephew, niece, or grandchild.

Mr Marr told Inside Time: "The whole goal of Bamboo Bicycle Club is to make bike-building accessible to everyone. Most of the people we teach are quite affluent, so my goal is to open that up to people who aren't able to afford it."

"I believe building things is powerful, and can help people progress in their lives. A lot of people in prison are disillusioned and have been failed by the education system. I am dyslexic myself, so I can sort of relate."

"For a lot of prisoners, the programmes offered are quite dull, but bamboo bikes have that cool factor that excites them. In the programme there's maths and English, but it's built into design, creativity and bike mechanics."

Mr Marr hopes that prisoners who enjoy the course will be inspired to look into areas such as engineering or graphic design for possible future careers.

The course provides a ray of light at Lowdham Grange, where many of the 900 prisoners are lifers. The prison has suffered a spate of deaths in recent years, leading to it being transferred from private management into the state sector.

"The bamboo bike course offers more than just technical training – it provides an avenue for creativity, teamwork, and self-expression."

— Sally Allsopp, Industries Manager, HMP Lowdham Grange

"Finding employment after release reduces the chance of reoffending significantly, which is why we are improving opportunities to help prisoners turn their lives around. Innovative projects, such as Build to Bond, support rehabilitation and help people leave prison as better citizens, boosting the economy and keeping our streets safe."

— Lord Timpson, Prisons Minister

Originally published: Inside Time, 17 November 2025
Author: Ben Leapman
Original article: Read on Inside Time