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.

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.

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!

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.

Organised by Sikh Arts and Cultural Association – SACA, this year the ride celebrated its 18th year in succession.

Enjoy the view!

The charity selected this year was Children with Leukaemia

Night Rain!
Having taken the coach-up on the 20th July – Incidentally, it was still raining by the time we got to Birmingham!

Good Morning Cyclists!
Over 300 cyclists started from Smethwick Gurdwara on Saturday morning. (21st July at approximately 7:45am). 75% of the day and close to 80% of the first day’s 100 miles was covered with the rain just pelting down.

Cyclists rode all day taking limited breaks with a great support crew – between steep and subtle hills (multi-levels and ones that felt like the were going on and on…) closing off the first leg of the weekend event in Luton with a wonderful reception at Luton Gurdwara.

The Second Day
On the second day the sun came out together with some cool breezes. Cyclist zoomed past St Albans and reached the infamous hill in Elstree, just after Radlett. Happy to have tackled the final big hill, lunch was served before the final leg home to West London!

A Fantastic Reception – Probably the biggest ever !
During the event’s finale, in Southall a 1 mile procession that included cyclists, official support vehicles and open air sound systems from Fantasia sounds.

After the finishing parade on the Southall Broadway at 3pm, the ride finished at Southall park. This year an open air concert was organised to greet the riders and everyone involved. The committees, various crews and cyclist families and supporters really enjoyed the show. The event was also supported by Channel Punjab (who also recorded the entire 2 day event for a future documentary),

The SACA organisation is grateful to all the support teams, 300+ cyclists and their receiving families. The langar and reception was excellent and enjoyed by all.

A team effort
In addition, the SACA organisation would like to Thank all that took part in this ride, the list of organisers and organisations below is not exhaustive.

The ride committee (Dr Savi, Dave, Sandy, Pala, Jas, Harmi, Ranj, Sati, Bobby, Ester, Arv, Raj, Chas, Jatinder, Tony, Manjit Singh, Harminder, Jas Gill, Sharan, Happy, Gurdeep, Hardeep, Sukh, The Panesar brothers, Dr Rajdeep, Dr Rosie, Harry, Taran, Verinder, all the ride marshals and support crew………. ).
Channel Punjab, Rocky’s, Herbies & the various ride sponsors, Metropolitan Police and Metropolitan Police Sikh Association and Gurdwara’s in Smethwick (Birmingham) and Luton.

… and all that took part to make this ride a safe and fun event.

PS The picture below is my father, Pritam Singh and I in the park – at the Riders Finale event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Listen to the audio advert too by clicking on the play button below:

Lots more information at:  http://www.charitybikeride.com  

I just wrote the official marketing letter:

It is that time of year again to start training for the ride of your life (Birmingham to London from 21st to 22nd July 2007). If you took part last year, you will remember, the friends, fellowship and fun that we all had raising money for Whizz Kids.

If you did it last year (brilliant!) or are new to the ride, come and join again this year on our 18th ride to raise money for this year’s charity: Children with Leukemia.

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

Many ride application options are available this year, i.e: solo, fast track and team entry.

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 (NB official entry until 30th June 2007).

Best Regards
SACA Bike ride organisers 2007
http://www.charitybikeride.com/
Enc: 2007 Ride application form

SACA is the abbreviation for the 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 17 years over £90,000 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 and Whizzkids. Approximately 3,500 people have taken part.

The event is followed by a charity evening at the end of September / early October. The purpose of this event is to say Thank you to the riders, the supportive families and organizers that have sponsored the ride. Medals are also presented together with many musicians that give up their time to raise further funds. Competitors for the most money raised through sponsorship are awarded and the charity is presented with a cheque for the total amount raised.

As I said in my letter, we take the journey with us. By the way, I saw that saying on a SoutWest trains poster advertisement. The phrase does touch one’s soul – we need to ensure that we help each other as after all our journey of life is unpredictable and should be treasured.

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!

A couple of parallel thoughts this week.

1. A couple of week’s back I attended the annual charity evening for those that have completed the annual Birmingham to London Cycle ride, held every July and organised by the Sikh Arts and Cultural Association. This year �15,000 was raised for Whizz Kids, a national charity that helps disabled children.

2. With this week being reduce wastage week. I also thought about how important it is to respect our environment – For example, often school runs and short trips are performed by car. Although one could argue that the road network makes it increasingly difficult to walk, run or cycle, the path to change has to come from us alone.

Apart from the environmental benefits, there is an enormous health benefit too. Getting on your bike regularly not only gets you where you want to go faster than a car, it is good for your heart and health.

Cycling everyday is an effective and enjoyable form of aerobic exercise. This is the type of exercise that is most effective at promoting good health. For example, cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and the most common form of diabetes.

One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death (mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent. Cycling can be part of a programme to lose weight because it burns the energy supplied by a chocolate bar in an hour (about 300 calories). A 15-minute bike ride to and from work five times a week burns off the equivalent of 11 pounds of fat in a year. That kind of cycling pattern also meets the Government’s latest target on exercise: that we should take part in some mild to moderate physical activity … five times a week*.

Cycling can have positive effects on how we feel too. Moderate exercise has been found to reduce levels of depression and stress, improve mood and raise self-esteem, and has also been found to relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

*NB Always consult your Doctor, before you start any form of exercise regime, especially if you are not performed any exercise or physical activity for a while.

How cycling improves fitness
A study carried out for the Department of Transport found that ‘even a small amount of cycling can lead to significant gains in fitness’. The study found that aerobic fitness was boosted by 11 per cent after just six weeks of cycling ’short distances’ four times a week. According to the study people who do not exercise who start cycling move from the third of the population who are the least fit, to the fittest half of the population in just a few months.

Who can cycle?
There are no real age barriers to cycling, and people of most fitness levels can cycle, slowly and gently if necessary. Anyone with heart disease or other conditions affecting their activity should, of course, consult their doctor before starting any exercise programme. Those of all body shapes and all but the most extreme body weights can ride a bike.

Getting Started
Most cyclists are ‘utility’ cyclists where the bike is a way of getting from A to B, and getting some exercise is an added bonus. Nearly three-quarters of journeys people make are of five miles or less, and these could be achievedby most people.

Further information.

There are some great resources to read-up on cycling:

Cycle Touring Club www.ctc.org.uk
London Cycling Campaign www.lcc.org.uk

Now is also the right time to start thinking about the annual Birmingham to London cycle ride organised by the Sikh Art and Cultural Association. Run over 2 days during the 3rd weekend of July, you can work towards completing your centennial mile on the first day and finish the final 40 on the second. Every year over 240 riders take part and The Sikh Times also wonderfully sponsor the event too. Visit: www.charitybikeride.com