Over 180 Cyclists Pedal Against Poverty!
The rain may have stopped the tennis at Queens and the racing at Silverstone, but it didn’t stop 180 people from taking part in CAFOD’s fifth annual Pedal Against Poverty sponsored Cycle Ride.
The constant drizzle and blustery wind on Sunday, 12 June 2011 may have saturated the ride, but it failed to dampen the spirits of the riders themselves.
“It’s a great way of having fun and doing exercise,” said Steve Carrivick, of Enfield, “I really enjoy the beautiful off-road route. It’s a perfect day out for families.”
Apart from being a great day out, the annual ride makes an outstanding contribution to CAFOD’s poverty fighting work around the world. Through Pedal Against Poverty 2010, CAFOD Westminster raised over £12,000 for projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. For this year’s ride, CAFOD is hoping to raise nearer to £15,000, enough to bring clean water to 20 shanty towns in Latin America.
“It is worth doing an event like this for the change you can make to peoples lives,” said John Ravi, Chaplain of St Anne Catholic High School in Palmers Green, who rode with a group of 25 students and teachers, “How can we complain about a bit of rain? Others across the world face a lot bigger difficulties?”
Want to get involved?
We always welcome both riders and volunteers to take part in Pedal against Poverty. CAFOD has a wide network of volunteers in the UK and we'd be delighted to hear from more people wanting to get involved. As CAFOD volunteer Dawn Leonard, who helped run the event this year, says: “I want to make a difference in any way I can instead of simply blaming politicians for the problems in the developing world.”
The annual cycle ride takes place in the Lee Valley Country Park, skirting alongside the river and canal through scenic forests and meadows. Riders can choose between an 18 mile return route from Ponders End to Broxbourne, or a shorter 10 mile route from Cheshunt to Broxbourne.
On each route, everyone will meet in the country park to share in a community picnic. Riders of all ages and skill levels are welcome, though those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
View photos of this year’s event, or watch a video of the 2009 ride on Youtube.
Watch this space for details and how to register for Pedal Against Poverty 2012!
For more information about Pedal Against Poverty, contact CAFOD Westminster on 0208 449 6970, or email westminster@cafod.org.uk
For every £1 given to our Give it up! appeal this Lent, including Lent Fast Day, the government will donate another £1 – doubling your donation and changing even more lives |
884 million people do not have access to clean, safe water. Pray with us this Lent that waters may flow and injustice may be washed away. |
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