Charity ride: RIDE 2 UKRAINE
Written by Henry Yates | 6ft8photographer
This August I will be cycling an incredible 2000 miles from the United Kingdom to Ukraine for Ukrainian-based charity Voices of Children. Created by endurance riders and friends Ed Tapp & Heath Ryan, I was asked to join the team for this epic cause.
Image by Nick Esser - Cyclist Magazine
Starting Monday 5th August 2024 we will be cycling 3,200 kilometres from Sheffield in the UK (Ed’s Home) to Ukraine. Our carefully designed route takes us from the hills of Yorkshire to the battlefields of Northern France & Belgium, through the post-war European centres of peace and integration, along the Danube River and into some of Europe’s thriving cities. This route ensures that we have chosen a safe, friendly and fun route with real culture and history.
Stage Kilometers
1. United Kingdom: Sheffield - Dover 579km
2. Western Europe: Dunkirk - Luxembourg 515km
3. Central Europe: Luxembourg - Prague 1142km
4. Eastern Europe: Prague - Uzhgorod 981km
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Total - 3216 km (15 days)
The Voices of Children Charitable Foundation provides psychological, psychosocial and targeted humanitarian support to Ukrainian families and children affected by the war.
In their March 2024 report, Voices of Children (VOC) have assisted more than 5000 victims. VOC has plans to open new locations of psychosocial support in Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Uzhhorod as well as training centres for volunteers and psychologists and work with parents.
This month Voices of Children Charitable Foundation has provided services in;
Evacuation and settlement assistance to 250 families and 850 children and 5 tons of fuel were provided for the relocation of Ukrainians from hotspots in the east, leading to the safe evacuation of 2000 people. Plus for more than 800 people (women and children) further assistance was provided with setting up temporary and permanent shelters in Lviv and Truskavets.
Assistance to Children in orphanages, including 80 students of the Znamyansk boarding school for children with disabilities who are difficult to relocate and received medicine, hygiene products, humidifiers, blankets and mattresses to arrange sleeping places.
During the March the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation helped with the delivery of 20 tons of humanitarian aid from abroad (baby food, diapers, bedding, long shelf-life food etc to war victims.
Read further about the charity’s monthly contributions - Here
My preparations for this huge trip will be ramping up in June and July with weeks of 1000-1500 km’s to ensure that my body is ready for these huge days on the bike in August.
Throughout this journey I will be posting content on my social media account with daily updates and photos from my drone and camera. I invite you to follow my journey through the lead up and on the ride.