By Adam Dutton
A Leicestershire based volunteer for the charity One Nation is cycling 100 miles this weekend in the hope of raising money for families in Syria.
Sarfraz Hussain is leading a group of cyclists from Leicester to Cannock and back again with the aim of helping Syrian families fight the cold this winter.
The cycle will be in support of the Winter Container Aid, a charity programme designed to provide essentials for families in Syria this winter.
Sarfraz Hussain, the national fund raising manager for One Nation Charity, said: “This event is for Winter Container Aid in Syria so we will be sending fundraising which will be used for sleeping bags, blankets, medical aid, and food.
“We’re sending the container at the end of the month.
“The event we will be riding is 100 miles from Leicester to Chase Water Country Park, in Cannock. So far we’ve raised just under £5,000 so it’s going very well.”
The event has been inspired by another local, Leicester based charity, the Riders of Shaam, who Sarfraz has worked with before and continuously raise money throughout the year by riding extreme distances with the aim of raising money for charity.
Over half of the riders have only been cycling at distance for over a month but have improved with lengthy training sessions.
Sarfraz has also helped and organised a number of other charitable events over the years. Most recently a project to help build houses in Syria.
He said: “We recently fundraised to build emergency houses in Syria. We acquired land within a safe zone and built over 200 three bedroom houses with running water and indoor toilet access. We plan to build over 500.
“In one night of the fundraising, we managed to break the record, we raised over £300,000.
“In the future, we’re going to attempt to cycle the North Coast 500, the tour of the Scottish coast. Then possibly across Africa after that.
The fundraising events provide aid not only for Syria, but various countries around the world, wherever there is need.
For any information on the upcoming event on Saturday and where to donate, visit:
