NEXTBIKE, Stirling’s cycle-share scheme, is planning to give away cash this Christmas to a local charity – and wants the public’s help to decide where it should go.

nextbike is offering a half-price annual subscription to anyone who signs up to the scheme in the month of December 2017, meaning a year’s cycling will cost just £30 instead of the usual £60.

And because Christmas is the time for giving, nextbike is donating £15 to charity from every subscription purchased as part of its nextbike For Charity campaign.

It now wants members of the Stirling public to nominate their favourite local charity by November 20, so it can be in with a chance of receiving the cash gift.

The charity with the most nominations will receive the donation in the New Year.

The successful charity will be announced on November 21.

Stirling’s nextbike scheme celebrated its third birthday in October.

Since it was introduced by Forth Environment Link three years ago, the number of journeys made by rental bike in Stirling has tripled.

Users of the city’s bike share scheme have clocked up nearly 24,000 journeys in the past year alone – compared to around 7,000 in the first year of the initiative.

nextbikes are available 24 hours a day and users can register and hire bikes in just a couple of minutes.

The cycle-share scheme is one of the cheapest ways to get around Stirling, with fees starting from as little as 16p per day.

Julian Scriven, nextbike managing director, said: “We’re passionate about inclusion and making a real difference to the communities within which we operate, so the nextbike For Charity campaign seemed like a great idea. Stirling has really taken the scheme to its heart and we wanted a way of saying thank you.

“It’s a brilliant offer for anyone taking out a new annual subscription, but best of all, their favourite charity might also be in with the chance of receiving a donation out of it too.”

Charity nominations can be made via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #nextbikeforcharity.

First launched in Bath in 2014 and also operating in Milton Keynes, Exeter, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the University of Warwick, nextbike has grown to become one of the most integrated modes of transport for users across the country.