AS THE world watched nearly 200 Tour de France cyclists speed their way through the Dales of West Yorkshire & the Dales (News, 11 July), the Huddersfield congregation of St Philip and St James, Scholes, were also thinking about their link parishes in Tanzania.

They have raised enough money to send ten bicycles to the village of Luanda - not for speeding around, but to boost the local economy. The bicycles, which cost about £70 each, will help some of the poorest break out of poverty.

"The poorest people in the world often have no means of transport," the Vicar, the Revd Richard Burge (above, in Tanzania), says. "But, with a bicycle, they can start to make simple changes to their lives. Without a bike they have to walk to market, they can't carry a lot and it takes ages to get anywhere. With a bicycle they can carry more, so get a better price for anything they sell, and it takes them a fraction of the time. Small things like this can make huge changes to the poorest people."

The church in Scholes has been linked with Luanda, in the Ryogoro area of Tanzania, for many years, and has sent footballs, mosquito nets, goats, and many other items. Now they have set themselves a goal. They want to send bicycles to people living in all four of their link parishes as part of their Harvest Festival this year.