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Thanks for helping me. I'm a caseworker at Refugee Action based in London. Every day I see the surmountable problems that asylum seekers and refugees face in the UK.  For me the most frustrating aspect of my work is seeing asylum seekers who have become destitute due to inconsistencies of the asylum process.  I see people destitute, living on hand outs, homeless with no one to turn to. I have long thought about how as an individual I could increase awareness of the plight of destitute asylum seekers and raise money for Refugee Action’s destitution fund.   The idea hit me one day during a moment of listing between what can only be described as dreamy self-reflection and pure lunacy! I wanted to undertake a challenge in which I could push myself to the limits of my physical and mental boundaries. The sheer madness of such a challenge may pique people’s interest and enable me to reach out to a wider audience than normally possible. So I'm taking on a personal challenge of my own to raise money to help these people.   So what is this challenge? I intend on cycling from Glasgow to St. Tropez on the Mediterranean Sea in southern France. Rather than following a direct route, the journey will be in two distinct parts; first will be to ride south from our offices in Glasgow and visit each of our offices in the UK during Refugee Week 2012. From there I will journey to France making my way to Lyon and then head into the Alps. The ten days of riding in the Alps will involve between 3000 and 5000 metres of climbing per day. I will also cross the Cime de Bonette is the highest paved through route in Europe.  My goal will be to ride around 100 miles per day (160km). The start date in Glasgow is the 16th June and I plan to finish on the 10 July and will cover around 2,300 miles. I will be making it easy to follow me on my journey, as I will have a GPS tracker so you can follow me at all times. I will also supplement this with a daily online update, with short video and photos. I will be able to provide more details later as at the moment most of my time is spent training.   Anything you can offer will be great.  I feel strongly about destitution. This journey will be during my holiday and I am primarily funding it myself.  However I need to raise a further £1300 to help cover my costs, the rest will go directly to Refugee Action.  Are you aware that just £10 can pay for hot drinks and access to a shower for 20 destitute asylum seekers?   Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.   So please dig deep and donate now

Glasgow to St Tropez or bust! Fraser's cycling odyssey

Glasgow to St Tropez or bust! Fraser's cycling odyssey

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