*Update: Thank you all so much for your incredibly generous donations! On Sunday 26th April I completed my 26.26km cycle in 26 items of clothes. You can watch a short video of it all here: 

https://vimeo.com/412651763 

Please feel free to share with friends & family - it's still not too late to donate & help us support refugees!!*

I work for JRS UK, a small organisation based in East London, who support people who have been made destitute by the asylum system and those held in immigration detention. This weekend, 6 incredible volunteers were set to run the London marathon to raise money for the refugees we support, but the coronavirus has delayed the whole event. This means our refugee friends wont benefit from the huge amounts of cash the marathon would have raised. 

So, I am taking on a 2.6 challenge to help raise extra funds....

I'm cycling 26KM on my exercise bike, while wearing 26 items of clothing to raise much needed funds for 350 of our refugee friends!

The Coronavirus outbreak has been devastating for so many people in many ways. 

Working at JRS UK, I see hundreds of refugees every week who are left destitute by the harsh asylum system in the UK. I know first hand that they are particularly struggling during this pandemic. 

Without access to benefits and banned from working, they live precarious lives, relying on friends to support them and charities to provide for their basic needs. Under ordinary circumstances they rely on us for practical, legal and emotional support. These are wonderful, unique and kind people who drop in to JRS UK's Day Centre to feel welcomed and supported. The pandemic means day centres like ours have had to close their doors and many are finding their informal housing arrangements breaking down. They aren't benefiting from government schemes to relieve pressure and they are falling through the cracks of most of the mutual aid organisations.

It leaves our refugee friends facing a crisis to survive.

At JRS UK we've adapted our usual face-to-face services and taken our Day Centre on the road, delivering essential help like food and hygiene packs thanks to volunteer drivers. We are also rolling out cards to provide hardship funds to refugee friends safely and mobile phone top-ups so that they can stay in touch with family and people who might be able to help. 

We urgently need to raise money for this COVID-19 emergency response work through our Hardship Fund to ensure we can go on supporting refugees at this time of crisis.

Please sponsor my ridiculous 26KM ride on my (exercise) bike and enjoy the thought of me making a red-faced fool of myself!

Anything you can give would help (even if it's just £2.60!) and will go directly towards supporting destitute refugees in need.

Please donate today, and don't forget to leave a comment with suggested clothing items to wear during my cycle! (The more hilarious the better, there will be photos!)

Thank you!