Sudbury firefighter riding high after community pitches in to replace stolen bike

Published: 05:00, 10 February 2021

A firefighter will be able to respond to emergencies on two wheels rather than two feet after good samaritans pitched in to replace his stolen bike.

Connor Andrews, of Melford Road, Sudbury, was helped out by friends and other kind-hearted Facebook users, when his primary mode of transport was lost.

He said: “I was just coming back from shopping when I noticed my bike was not there. I panicked and called the police.

SUDBURY Bike recovery.Sudbury Fire Station, Gregory St, Sudbury.Connor Andrews who had his bike stolen. acquaintances on his Facebook pitched in hundreds for him to replace it in a random act of kindness. Connor is a part-time firefighter and needs his bike to get to jobs on time. Picture by Mark Westley. (44299638)

“I was shocked and upset. I’d had the bike for two years and I used it to get back and forth from the fire station.”

As an on-call firefighter with the community service, Mr Andrews said ‘speed is of the essence,’ and what would be a 10-minute ride from his home is only two minutes by bike.

He put a post on his Facebook page the night of the theft.

“I was hoping that someone might have come across it,” he said.

However, what he did not expect was for his online friends to begin a crowd-funding appeal.

“I had a message at 8.30am the following day to say people had put a lot of money together to get a new one,” he said.

“The next thing I knew, I got a message to say ‘I am on my way down to your home with your new bike.”

He credits Jimbo Warne, Mark Bean, Chris Watson, Richie Lambert and Melanie Lauven for providing the new bike.

“It was a shock. I never thought this would happen after my post, not in a million years. I could not afford a new bike. This is the same model I had before, but for the colour. It is a Carrera Vengeance mountain bike.”

He added that he is not close friends with those who gave money, which makes the gesture extra special.

The bike was bought from Halfords in Sudbury and, although Mr Andrews is unsure how much it was bought for, or if the shop gave a discount, the guide price is around £325.

Mr Andrew works as a video editor by day but can expect to be called out any time if required by the local fire service, including at night.

Paul Carrington, Connor’s manager at the fire service, thanked those who helped him out.

“Seconds can make a difference in a fire and having a bike to get to the station will be a real benefit,” he said.

“We are always hoping for more people to be able to provide cover during the day and Connor is valuable to us.”

Sudbury Suffolk Homepage William Mata