The Outdoor Pursuits (OP) department at Malvern College is teaming up with Hay, Brecon & Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees to organise a ‘Ride for Refugees’ which will take place from 1pm on Saturday 18th May until 6pm on Sunday 19th May 2024.
The plan is that 13 Malvern College teams (a team from each boarding house, staff team and OM team) will be challenged with finding and purchasing a second- hand bike on Facebook Marketplace, for no more than £50 (OP staff will be helping pupils with the logistics of doing this). On Saturday 18th May, all teams (and their bikes) will be driven to the start point in Brecon, where they will begin the race along the Brecon Canal, eventually finishing just outside Newport, some 40 miles away. The entire route is 100% traffic free – apart from ducks and fisherman! On the way, you will camp overnight (there will be a catering van for dinner and breakfast, music and entertainment) before you continue on with the race on the Sunday morning. The winning team are the first to the finish line.
There will of course be some rules (to keep you safe) but details will be given closer to the time. The main one however will be that all team members must stay together; it is a team effort, not an individual task.
Hay, Brecon & Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees is a group of volunteers co-ordinating a local response to the increasing refugee crisis in the UK. They seek to advance education, relieve financial and social hardship and distress amongst people seeking refuge/asylum.
At the finish line the amazing volunteers from Hay, Brecon & Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees will load your bikes into a large van and then distribute them to refugees who currently have no way of getting around, getting to job interviews, getting to school and so on. Smaller bikes will go to children whose families have fled persecution, war, violence.
If you are interested in joining the OM Team, please get in touch with us at [email protected] and we will put you in touch with the Outdoor Pursuits Department here at the College for further details.