On June 7th I’m taking up the challenge of cycling from my usual haunt of Salesforce’s London office and hopefully arriving in our Amsterdam office on June 9th in support of the Big Leaf Foundation.

I’ll be with a group of 15 colleagues, and whilst I often cycle at weekends I don’t cover the type of distance that we’ll be doing – 300 miles or 453 km across 3 days and four countries. And I certainly don’t ask for donations for my weekend rides!

So what’s compelled us to do this for the Big Leaf Foundation?

One of the most significant barriers to anyone trying to resettle in the UK is a good understanding of the English language. Often, people arrive as beginners in English speaking and reading, making it extremely challenging to find their feet in their new communities.

College places are often hard to access, particularly for those who have arrived after the start of the academic year. These delays in accessing education mean many young people are excluded from support, guidance and information that could significantly improve their situations.

That's where the Big Leaf Foundation come in.

They are a small charity working with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) who arrive alone, often traumatized and without language or cultural understanding. One of their services is weekly full-day English sessions which are a chance for UASC to get together with teachers to work on their English language skills.

Your support means that displaced young people are able to start settling into their new communities, and given the ability to create better outcomes for themselves.

If you can spare some money, even the cost of a few coffees or drinks will go a long way, please dig deep and help me support this fantastic charity.

Thank you.