In addition to his solo show, he is also refurbishing bicycles and making them available, free of charge, to his fellow Fringe artists.
“I have been helping people with bikes for the last decade and have combined it into a core goal wherever I do stand-up tours,” says Dion. “Last year I got a handful of artists bikes and it was such a boon to their wellbeing and festival experience. For me, the end goal is that every artist who wants a bike for the Fringe would have access to one.”
With support this year both from the Fringe Society and the Pear Tree, Dion has spent around 100 hours fixing up 70 bikes – his highest tally yet. At the end of August, Dion donates the bicycles to The Bike Station, who in turn make them available (on a non-profit basis) to people in need of bikes in Scotland.
“Currently I am the only mechanic working on this project so I don't yet have the resources to release an open offer to all Fringe artists. Ideally, with a little publicity around this year’s efforts, the programme will grow – finding a few more organisations that could help supply short-term bikes, and maybe recruiting a few other mechanics.
“I am not the best capitalist so I am not setting my sights on securing sponsorship or backing in future. Just putting my energies and efforts into a space that feels like it makes the world a little bit better and hoping, with a bit of effort, it organically forms.”
