As part of the organising committee that organises the Birmingham to London Cycle (UK) ride every year. Our organising team / committee consists of approx 8 volunteers from London, Luton and Birmingham (19th-20th July 2008). The ride takes at least 10 months to organise. Let us also not forget this year there is a giant mela to welcome the riders and raise more money for charity with stalls and performers at SKLP Community Centre on 20th July from 12pm to 5pm.

If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Children with Leukemia (CWL). Together we successfully raised £25,000.

This year we have chosen the same charity again. This year the ride takes place from 19th-20th July 2008. As a reminder, the ride is organised by SACA (Sikh Arts and Culture Association).

This is a community ride that also shows that collectively we can perform good in society and be humble about it too! The other good thing about this ride is that is demonstrates what I tend to hark on about - People from different backgrounds coming together for a common cause - focusing on self-less service - together with an opportunity to train and  test their stamina (NB Health disclaimers are given).

This year we managed to configure the site with a link to www.justgiving.com – (NB My sponsorship page is at: http://www.justgiving.com/saviarora - your kind donations/sponsorship would be greatly appreciated). This is a brilliant way to collect online sponsorship for any charity. Once the charity is registered it takes just a few moments for individuals to create their own pages, set targets and gain encouragement / momentum!

Moving away from I to We.

It is also interesting that National Rail is using the following marketing strap line: ‘you take the journey with you’. Orange has just unveiled ‘I am’ as their new strap line which will replace ‘the future is bright, the future is orange’. The latter line was introduced by ad agency WCRS for Orange in 1994 to launch the mobile phone brand into the UK market. The ’I Am Everyman’ television commercial suggests a number of messages. Some online marketing publications have suggested that this brand change has cost Orange a few million to complete. Someone suggested £10M?

I wonder if the 21st century has increasingly become - A world for the ‘I’ generation, for example: I pod and MySpace. Yet, the irony is, that for each of these components to operate one has to interact with others?

Mohammad Ali, the famous boxer once gave one of the most powerful and shortest lectures in Oxford. He simply announced, ‘Me, We’.

When I looked through some of the other events featured on Justgiving it gave me a reassurance that there are so many good causes and people prepared to help.

In a world where the word ‘I’ is increasingly becoming prevalent it is good to know that there are people who want to share and harmonise. I only wish that some commercial /giant multi-nationals companies and governments could do more.

Popularity: 59% [?]

I was recently elected as a Trustee on the board of the Interfaith Youth Trust (IFYT). Later on the same day from 8pm to almost 10pm I attended a charity organisation meeting - The Birmingham to London cycle ride organising committee - SACA.

Both of these have a common thread: Youth and working for a common cause. In the case of IFYT, the aim is interesting - Encouraging greater understanding for each other’s religion. For SACA - Sikh Arts and Cultural Association, it is to encourage greater community cohesion through working for a selected children’s charity.

Essentially, the the term Service can be applied but it is important to consider it from a humble perspective. NB The reason why I’m talking about it is not to publicise my activities but to highlight others who give up their time to work in a self-less manner. I’ve often said that the true celebrities are those unsung heroes who work tirelessly, for example, in villages where children are amazed at the sight of shoes.

On Friday night I attended a cultural evening organised by AFP - The Asian Foundation for Philanthropy. This UK-based charity was established in November 2004 to support British Asians (a term that they use - I prefer British Brown!) Diaspora who want to make a difference to social and economic development in India. They use their extensive networks in both the UK and India to provide means for both individuals and businesses who wish to contribute towards social change in India.  They aim to ‘identify projects and organisations which seek to empower local people and encourage them to see creative solutions which will be sustainable and contribute to development over the long term.’ I noticed that the charities they work with are ‘local’ in nature, often finding it difficult to attract the international support that they need.

I’ve written in the past about corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of multi-nationals missing a great opportunity to develop people, for example through involvement with charitable initiatives. AFP provides a great opportunity for an increasingly affluent community to get involved. This is not to imply that the rich club do not today. I’m just talking from my personal experience with involvement with SACA over the years. For example, gaining sponsors for the annual bike ride is always a challenge. Often questions on budget allocation, payback and market worth of being associated with a cause are raised. Not as a barrier but as a discussion point. Many of the sponsors for the ride are consistent and reliable and the organisation is certainly grateful for their continued support.

Maybe part of the problem is that apart from Gift Aid there is little incentive for commercial organisations to give-up their talent. Instead, people who care enough will do it anyway.

Yet, the irony is that many of today’s issues are based on commercial decisions and international trade rules.

Today, the G8 commence another exciting summit. With talk of rising oil prices and rising food prices will there be a consideration for being creative. For those who already live on the border line of life, recession will impact them harder. Greater tax breaks for organisations, both developing, mature and willing to invest in development projects could be a way to encourage greater world unity and harmonisation. Else the predicted downturn could escalate into a spiral of depression where corporate leaders may become protective of their funds rather than innovative to deliver real change.

Popularity: 50% [?]

As part of the organising committee that organises the Birmingham to London Cycle (UK) ride every year. Our organising team / committee consists of approx 8 volunteers from London, Luton and Birmingham. The ride takes at least 10 months to organise.

If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Children with Leukemia (CWL). This year we have chosen the same charity again. In addition, there is a new web site to support the ride:
http://www.charitybikeride.com. Here, you can register for special guides for training, collecting sponsorship and generally getting fit! This year the ride takes place from 19th-20th July 2008.

This is a community ride that also shows that collectively we can perform good in society & be humble about it too!

If you did it last year (brilliant!) or are new to the ride, come and join again this year on our 19th ride to raise money for this year’s charity: Children with Leukemia.

Application forms are now available and we strongly recommend you apply early.Just as important, it is essential that you start training now.

A fast track (one day option) application is also available this year.

They say that ‘you take the journey with you’. We suggest that you make the journey of your life worthwhile by helping others.

We look forward to receiving your application form .

As a reminder, the ride is organised by SACA (Sikh Arts and Culture Association). The ride was initially developed by the British Organisation of Sikh Students and was later transferred after a few years to SACA.

Over the last 18 years over £135,000 has been raised for children’s charities, for example, Contact a family, Ealing Hospitals ‘Playground in the Sky’, Wolverhampton Hospital’s Children’s ward, NSPCC, SCOPE, deBra, Dr Barnados, Whizzkids and CWL. Over the years thousands of people have taken part.

Like last year there aims to be a huge party in the park at the finish line. It is a nice way to say Thanks to the supportive families and organisers that have sponsored the ride. Medals are also presented together with many musicians that give up their time to raise further funds.

Once all the collections are in, competitors for the most money raised through sponsorship are awarded and the charity is presented with a cheque for the total amount raised.

If you would like to take part in the ride, please feel free to drop me an email or simply head for the ride website at: http://www.charitybikeride.com/ It would also be great to hear from companies as this event is a fantastic opportunity for corporate responsibility! Remember, apathy is too easy it is time to rise and ride to help others!

Popularity: 46% [?]

Some of you may know that myself and SACA help to organise the annual Birmingham to London Charity.
Here is an update of what happened on Sunday 27th Jan 2008…

Much loved actor and current King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins took time out of his busy schedule to meet fundraisers, including 96 year old Fauja Singh, after they completed the annual Birmingham to London bike ride in aid of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.

The presentation took place on Sunday 27 January at the Wyke Green Golf Club, Isleworth, where the star was presented with a cheque for £25,368.44 from SACA, the organisers behind the event.

SACA also took the opportunity to announce that, further to the success of last year’s event, they have nominated CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA to be the beneficiary of the event for a second year running.  Deputy CEO of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA Peter Reynolds said “We are honoured to be the nominated charity for a second year. It is a privilege to be associated with SACA again and we look forward to another successful event”.

Over 250 cyclists covered over 130 miles in July last year, enduring unseasonably adverse weather conditions throughout. Fauja Singh (aged 96), who currently holds eight different UK, European and world running records in the men over 90 age category, ran in a relay, with a team of ten other runners, along the same route as the cyclists, to show their support for the riders

Biggins beat eleven celebrities to be crowned King of the Jungle in November last year, on ITV’s Primetime show ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Talking from the event he said “Well the bush tucker trials really pale into insignificance compared to the lengths these wonderful supporters have gone to in order to raise vital funds for a wonderful cause.  The money raised will be used to fight the UK’s most common childhood cancer and is much needed, so all I can say is a huge thank you”.

Esther Lay, from SACA said “We’re delighting to able to donate £25,000 to such a worthy cause.  I would like to thank each and every rider, whose dedication and support has resulted in a fantastic contribution to CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA and look forward to working with them again in 2008”.

The Annual Birmingham to London Charity Bike Ride is one of the most challenging rides organized in the UK.  The event has been held each year since 1989, when a group of 14 aspiring youths decided to establish a challenge that could help both local and national children’s charities. They considered a number of sporting events that would test both their determination and personal fitness. They also considered the key element of working as a team and supporting each other.

Each year SACA choose a children’s charity to benefit from the event.  CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the sole beneficiary of the 2007 event.  To date the ride has raised over £135,000 for children’s charities.

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is Britain’s leading national charity dedicated exclusively to the conquest of childhood leukaemia through pioneering research, new treatment and support of leukaemic children and their families.

Popularity: 84% [?]