Spaak, a social bicycle hub and meeting place in Zaandam-East, officially opened on Thursday. The initiative by Pact Zaandam-East brings together residents, organisations and government, and aims to help local people meet one another and improve their access to work. It includes a café, bicycle workshop and cycling lessons for children and adults; refurbished unclaimed bicycles are also intended for people on low incomes.

The hub offers a 12-week bicycle-technician course for groups of eight, held three times a year. The course covers repair skills as well as tools, workplace behaviour, sales and customer advice. One participant, Nabil Zekhnini, said the training had given him renewed hope of finding work and that he has a meeting with a company planned. Spaak does not offer regular repair services, in order not to compete with local bicycle businesses.