Fifteen cyclists from the United Kingdom will soon start pedalling to raise funds for Australian program, The Bike Creative, the brainchild of school teacher Chris Sellings.

In 2023, Chris Sellings, resident of Boorloo/Perth and originally from Twickenham, England, moved with his wife to work at a remote school over 3,000km away in Turkey Creek in the East Kimberley.

Amid the challenges of isolation, about 200 kilometres from Kununurra in Gija Country, Mr Sellings saw a simple but powerful way to make a difference to the community: bikes.

A former cycling coach in Europe, Mr Sellings started a bike club at Ngalangangpum School (the name means 'mother and child') in the woodwork shop, teaching kids how to fix and build their own bikes.

The impact was immediate and positive. The club quickly became a go-to place; kids wanted to learn, to create, to ride.

Mr Sellings said parents watched with some amazement as their children returned home with bikes they'd built themselves and the community came alive with the sight of children cycling everywhere.

"The kids are happy, which makes the adults happier. They go to bed earlier because they're tired and want to get up and ride their bikes," said parent, Benita Everett.

Bike club grew, attracting children from other schools, so they moved to the local recreation shed.

Cecil Mosquito, who works at the Warmun Arts Centre, said he is aware of the impacts the bikes had on the community.

"A lot of kids would come in, getting old bikes and fixing them, it keeps them occupied, they are out there having fun together, looking out for each other, making their own bike tracks, they were really happy," said Mr Mosquito, who is also the co-ordinator of the local Men's Shed.

"But also, the impact of someone doing something for them, not just ignoring them, the kids wanted to get involved.

"The kids wanted to be around each other, boasting about their bikes, more kids wanted to be part of it, they were sharing bikes, some of the older kids were appointed youth leaders, it was really, really good."

Mr Sellings salvaged bikes from the local rubbish dump, bought tools with his own money, and eventually paid for 50 bikes and tools to be driven up from Perth.

During NAIDOC celebrations, the project united local people, police, nurses, and service providers, everyone pitching in, working side-by-side with children to fix bikes and building positive relationships.

Mr Sellings said he was invited into the community's men's circle, where fathers shared their surprise and happiness about the impact of the bikes.

"When one of the dads suggested bike lights for safety, I went to work fundraising for 35 sets, which might seem small, but it made a big difference," Mr Sellings said.

Up until that point, Mr Sellings had funded the project from his own pocket, driven by the belief that every child deserves joy and opportunity.

Now, he's building The Bike Creative to reach even more remote communities.

"At the end of each day, I'd sit and look out over the desert, thinking about the ripple effect of happiness spreading from the children, and it made me cry for joy every day," said the 46-year-old teacher.

"That's how I know this is the right thing to do, and I need to keep doing it."

After two years in Turkey Creek, Mr Sellings and his wife returned to live in Perth. During the July school holidays, they went back to Turkey Creek with tools and bikes and the kids.

"There were about 30 kids waiting for us at the gate early in the morning, there's only 50 kids in town, and these kids don't get up early normally," he said.

"It reinforces my mission to keep going, to build The Bike Creative and expand it to other remote communities - and also try to get some new bikes, I mean, why shouldn't these kids have new bikes?"

Starting on October 23, the visiting British cyclists will ride 400 kilometres over three days along the Great Ocean Road in Victoria to raise funds and awareness for The Bike Creative.

The riders, all volunteers from the UK charity Biking for Children in Care, have raised over $2 million (£1 million) since 2002 to support vulnerable children in the UK.

Now they are turning their support to children in the remote East Kimberly in Western Australia.

For more information visit https://bikecreativefoundation.org and to donate, visit https://www.mycause.com.au/page/374902/remote-wa-bike-program.