Going the distance for Wheels for change & UNICEF UK
28 May 2014 10:28 AM
Hundreds saddle up to cycle 100km across the UK
Scores of cyclists got on their
bikes (Saturday 24 May) to take part in the Wheels for Change 100km cycling
challenge, setting off from seven Barclays Premier League affiliated football
grounds.
In aid of UNICEF, the
world’s leading organisation working for children and young people, and
supported by Barclays, an estimated £220,000 was raised which will help
young people in some of the world’s poorest
countries.
The seven 100km routes started
and finished at the following Barclays Premier League affiliated
venues:
- Cardiff City
stadium;
- Crystal Palace’s Selhurst
Park;
- Fulham’s training ground
at Motspur Park, South West London;
- Liverpool FC’s Family
Park, Anfield Road;
- Manchester United’s Old
Trafford;
- Newcastle United’s
training ground at Darsley Park; and
- Birmingham Road, outside West
Bromwich Albion’s The Hawthorns.
Around 250 participants took to
their bikes. Among them was legendary fundraiser, ‘Blind Dave
Heeley’, 59, of West Bromwich, who counts seven marathons in seven days
across seven continents as past achievements.
Dave, who took part in the
Wheels for Change route from West Bromwich’s The Hawthorns, said:
“The ride went well and I was happy to take part in Wheels for Change,
it’s for a really good cause helping youngsters stand on their own two
feet.”
Catherine Cottrell, Deputy
Executive Director of Fundraising, at UNICEF UK said: “What a fantastic
achievement by all the cyclists who took part in the challenge. On behalf of
the young people who will benefit from the money raised, I would like to say a
huge thank you to not only those who cycled but also to everyone who sponsored
them. It just proves how the power of sport really can save and change the
lives of children and young people around the world.”
Money raised from the Wheels for
Change event enhances the ongoing work of the Barclays and UNICEF Building
Young Futures partnership. The global partnership, which began in 2008,
provides disadvantaged young people with the employability, enterprise and
financial skills they need to find work, or set up their own small business.
Almost a quarter of the world’s young people are unemployed and the
problem is getting worse.
Musa Matovu, 23, who lives in a small rural village in Uganda, is just one of
the young people benefiting from the Building Young Futures
partnership.
In Uganda, a staggering 80 per
cent of those aged 15-24 are unemployed and face bleak employment
opportunities.
Musa, 23, who had to drop out of
school to earn money to help his family, dreams of one day becoming a
mechanic.
“I have missed the
opportunity to become an engineer because I couldn’t complete my
education, but repairing vehicles is the next best thing. There is a garage in
town where I train for free. I hope to find ways of raising capital and one day
open my own garage” he said.
The Building Young Futures
training programme is helping Musa learn business, management and finance
skills. He will then be able to apply for a grant so his dream of becoming a
mechanic can become a reality.
Shane Hawkins, Founder of Wheels
for Change and a Managing Director at Barclays said: “Wheels for Change
was an amazing day, raising a fantastic £220,000 for UNICEF..Wheels for
Change is about making a real difference to young people, like Musa, helping
them to build stronger futures for themselves and their communities. Everyone
involved should be proud of what they’ve
achieved.”
Notes to
editors:
To find out more visit the
Wheels for Change website:www.wheelsforchange.co.uk
For more information, please
contact:
Lou Garrett UNICEF UK 020 7375
6047 LouiseG@unicef.org.uk or the UNICEF UK Press team on 020 7375
6030
About Wheels for
Change
Founded in 2011, UK-based Wheels
for Change is a Barclays supported initiative, which raises money for UNICEF to
help disadvantaged young people. In a series of seven cycling events, open to
the public, the initiative aims to raise money for UNICEF to help build
stronger futures for disadvantaged young people around the world and their
families. For further information, please visit the Wheels for Change
website:www.wheelsforchange.co.uk #wheelsforchange
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About
UNICEF
UNICEF promotes the rights and
wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our
partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment
into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable
and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. UNICEF
UK raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work and advocates
for lasting change for children everywhere. We are a UK registered charity,
supported entirely by voluntary donations. We do not receive any money from the
UN. For more information, please visit unicef.org.uk
About
Barclays
Barclays is an international
financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards,
corporate and investment banking and wealth management with an extensive
presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays’ purpose is
to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right
way.
With over 300 years of history
and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs
approximately 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money
for customers and clients worldwide.For further information about Barclays,
please visit our website www.barclays.com.As part of Barclays’
Citizenship strategy, it is committed to change 5 Million Young Futures by
2015. Barclays is investing not only money, but the time and expertise of
Barclays’ colleagues in community programmes that will enhance the
enterprise, employability and financial skills of the next generation. These
vital skills will help disadvantaged young people overcome the social and
financial challenges they face, better provide for themselves and their
families, and ultimately, support longer-term growth in the economy.For further
information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com
About Building Young
Futures
Set up in 2008, Building Young
Futures is a partnership between Barclays and UNICEF with the aim of helping to
tackle youth unemployment by enabling disadvantaged young people –
between the ages of 15 and 25 – to develop the skills, knowledge and
confidence they need to set up their own business or find a job. Between 2012
and 2015, the programme aims to directly benefit 74,000 young people in six
countries. Building Young Futures works in communities with high unemployment
rates. Through a combination of the expertise of Barclays’ employees and
the experience of UNICEF, we are transforming the prospects of vulnerable young
people living in these areas.