The Rickshaw Challenge 2018 Goes Under the Sea to
Ashford!
Media release
29 October
2018
BBC Children in Need returns next month, with
it comes the juggernaut that is The
One Show's ‘Rickshaw Challenge'. The Rickshaw Challenge 2018
was announced live during The One Show with a new route, a new rickshaw and a
new team.
In a first for the annual Challenge, which is
now in its eighth year, the route will start in France. A team of six young
people, all of whom have been supported by BBC Children in Need funded
projects, will be joined by The One Show's Matt Baker on the eight-day
challenge.
The Challenge begins on Friday 9 November in
Calais, where the team will pedal 31 miles through the service tunnel of the
Channel Tunnel - a route only travelled previously by the likes of professional
cyclists. Once through the tunnel, the team will head north and arrive in
Ashford for their first stop of the journey, where they'll be welcomed by crowds
of well-wishers located by the bandstand in Ashford town centre.
With Pudsey bear due in Ashford town centre
from around 6pm, families will have plenty of time to visit for a quick selfie
before cheering on the riders as they arrive at the bandstand between 7pm and
7.30pm. The One Show will be broadcasting live at various intervals, so why not
do your bit for charity, bring your donations along and you might get to appear
on TV too!
After a well-earned rest, the team will head
off from Ashford on Saturday morning, making their way through England and
Wales and finishing in Salford on Friday 16 November, during the BBC Children
in Need Appeal Show.
Viewers will be able to follow Team
Rickshaw's progress on the show each day, but the full route - including a
real-time update of the rickshaw's progress - is also available at http://pudsey.viewranger.com/.
Cllr Graham Galpin, portfolio holder for the
town centre, said: "We're extremely honoured that Ashford has been chosen
to host the first stop of the BBC One Show's Rickshaw Challenge 2018 on Friday
9 November. Children in Need is a great charity and we're delighted that the
residents of Ashford have the opportunity to come out and support such a great
cause.
"It will be wonderful to showcase to BBC
viewers what a great community Ashford is and with your support on the night we
can do this."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Photos can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/od5lhwapxzterdf/AADMbEVwA7rI5K7PvewpvDoLa?dl=0
Route summary:
Day 1: Calais to Folkestone to Ashford
Day 2: Ashford to Lingfield
Day 3: Lingfield to Hook
Day 4: Hook to Royal Wootton Bassett
Day 5: Royal Wootton Bassett to Malvern
Day 6: Malvern to Ironbridge
Day 7: Ironbridge to Chester
Day 8: Chester to Salford Quays
About The One Show's Rickshaw Challenge
Since 2011, The One Show's Rickshaw Challenge
has raised over £21 million for BBC Children in Need, with every penny going on
to make a difference to the lives of children and young people across the UK
who need it most.
This year the public are being asked to take
on their own cycling challenge to raise money and ‘Ride with Team Rickshaw'
with support from cycling app Strava. The public can do their own cycling
challenge by logging their miles through the app, and Strava will automatically
add their distance to the collective total. From 10th October there is also the chance to win a bike with
Strava by entering the ‘Ride 50 Miles for BBC Children in Need' challenge.
Members of the public also have the option to log their miles manually; just
check out the FAQs on the BBC Children in Need website to sign up and for
guidance on using Strava.
To support the Rickshaw Challenge, you can
donate £5, £10 or £20 by text. To donate £5 text the word TEAM to 70405. To
donate £10 text TEAM to 70410. To donate £20 text the word TEAM to 70420. Texts
will cost your donation plus your standard network message charge. All of your
donation will go to BBC Children in Need. You must be 16 or over and please ask
for the bill payer's permission. For more information and full terms and
conditions go to bbc.co.uk/pudsey.
The Text to donate Service will close at 23:59 on the 31st December 2018.
About BBC Children in Need
BBC Children in Need's vision is that every
child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach
their potential. The charity will realise this vision by supporting, promoting
and publicising work that addresses the challenges that children and young
people face and work that builds their skills and resilience.
BBC Children in Need is currently supporting
over 2,700 projects in communities across the UK that are helping children and
young people facing a range of disadvantages such as living in poverty, being
disabled or ill, or experiencing distress, neglect or trauma.
Further information on BBC Children in Need
can be found at bbc.co.uk/pudsey as well as via their social media channels:
#CiN
facebook.com/BBCChildreninNeed
twitter.com/BBCCiN
The team taking on the challenge this year:
Abby (16) from London. At the age of 12,
Abby was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She endured six rounds of
chemotherapy and in January 2015 Abby was told that the cancer was in
remission. Unfortunately, two weeks later Abby's cancer aggressively returned,
and she was told that it had spread into a bone in her back and progressed to
Stage 4. With limited options left, Abby took part in a medical trial which
included stem cell therapy, which was successful, and she went into remission
in October 2015. Abby has been supported by Teens Unite. The project runs
motivational workshops for young people following a cancer diagnosis. For Abby,
it gave her a space to spend time with other youngsters going through similar
experiences and helped rebuild her confidence.
Harry (17) from Plymouth. When Harry was one
years old he was diagnosed with quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy, and
Worster-Drought Syndrome which affects his facial muscles. Over the years he
has had numerous operations to enable him to use his legs more easily. Harry
can find speaking difficult so to communicate he uses a combination of speech,
a tablet app and sign language to make sure he is understood. Harry is very
determined and is looking forward to taking part in the Rickshaw Challenge and
showing the world that he can do anything. He's been supported by Friends and
Families of Special Children which run activity sessions and provides support
to disabled children and their families.
Kayla (16) from Derry/Londonderry. Kayla
always felt very loved when she was growing up, but her mother struggled to
look after her as she suffered from alcoholism. Kayla went to live with her
grandfather at the age of seven but was always close to her mother. In January
2017, Kayla's mum died from an alcohol related condition and when she passed
away Kayla struggled to process what had happened. Kayla's dad is also
registered disabled after contracting a rare flesh-eating bug and she helps
care for him. Kayla has been supported by Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum,
a healthy living centre which gives young people a safe space, improves their
wellbeing and empowers them to reach their potential. For Kayla the project has
been a lifeline to her and she credits them for helping her deal with her
grief.
Kieran (18) from South Wales. Kieran
grew up as a young carer for his mum and his younger siblings. Eventually
Kieran became unable to cope. He struggled to control his feelings and acted up
at school. By the age of 13 things had become so difficult that Kieran was
placed in foster care and gradually he began to change his life. He started
attending The Hwb Torfaen, a project that supports NEET young people to engage
them with education, develop their skills and encourage volunteering. Kieran is
now in a positive place; he's close to his family and training to become an
electrician.
Maisie (16) from Southampton. Maisie was
born with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism. At age two she was
diagnosed with spinal compression which meant that a bone was squashing her
spinal cord and made movement difficult for her. Maisie had to undergo two
operations to remove the bone, and at age 13, also had to have operations to
straighten her leg. Maisie was introduced to Dwarf Sports Association when she
was four years old and she credits the organisation for having such a positive
influence on her life. Maisie enjoys competing in swimming, badminton and
boccia. She's determined not to let her disability stop her and is looking
forward to the Rickshaw Challenge.
Phoebe (19) from Leicester. Phoebe
developed a stammer around the age of eight. Phoebe was a very vibrant, chatty
and happy child but this began to change as the stammer took hold. By the time
Phoebe was in secondary school the stammer had reached its worst and even the
smallest speaking tasks would fill Phoebe with dread. She felt like she
couldn't express herself and her true personality was being hidden. She felt
alone, isolated and held back by her speech impediment. Phoebe has been
supported by Action for Stammering Children and is now part of their advisory
Youth Panel. It enables young people with a stammer to gain confidence when
communicating and build a peer support network. Phoebe is now studying Medicine
at university.
The new rickshaw
This year a new rickshaw has been built by a
team of engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Experts at
McLaren Racing and McLaren Applied Technologies have created the next
generation rickshaw from the ground up. With their help the rickshaw is now
even more accessible to the young people taking on the eight-day challenge.
The design of the new McLaren Rickshaw means
that this rickshaw is more accessible than the last, but still a challenge for
those riding it. A new drivetrain has been installed to improve its
reliability, as well as new braking mounts. Additionally, an inter-changeable
seat post has been installed which can be easily changed along the route to
suit whoever is riding the rickshaw.
For more information, contact:
Darren Laws
Public relations issued on behalf of Ashford Borough Council
01634 671167
Darren.laws@zesttheagency.com