Bristol2Beijing

Thank you for your interest in supporting Bristol2Beijing's amazing partner charities! (currently in London for the final leg, supporting 5K Your Way, Trekstock, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Young Lives vs. Cancer). Thanks to the loving and generous Bristol2Beijing community, we have already made a great start towards achieving our fundraising goal. Prior to starting this page on 15 November 2021, we had already raised £108,000 for charity through our previous fundraising platforms! (Note: a £60 donation equals £1 for every 500km Luke cycles).

 

About Me:

My name is Luke. I was 24 years old in June of 2018 when I was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer (a rare, aggressive sarcoma). The cancer is still here – I’m here too. On 1 January 2020, I began cycling from Bristol, UK to Beijing, China on a tandem bicycle named "Chris." The Bristol2Beijing expedition is dedicated to my late brother John Christopher Grenfell-Shaw (read more about the unseen joiner).

(A photo of me cycling on my stationary bike while in hospital while receiving drips of chemotherapy in my arm. It is so important to me to not allow my cancer to define who I am or what I believe is possible.)

 

About Bristol2Beijing:

 

The aims of the Bristol2Beijing expedition are simple but ambitious: (1) to inspire people to proactively seek out opportunities to live richly and fully, especially CanLivers (people living with cancer, facing uncertainty and challenge on a daily basis, yet acknowledging they can still live a rich and full life); (2) to maximise our chances of longevity and happiness through exercise and diet; and (3) to create a dynamic, lasting movement in how we approach cancer. This is a message that applies to anyone facing challenges, anyone living.

 

A key aspect of driving this change is supporting groups who are already working towards similar goals. I have chosen to support the following UK charities for the duration of my expedition (expedition partner charities): 5K Your Way and Trekstock, charities which help empower CanLivers through exercise, and the Teenage Cancer Trust  and Young Lives vs. Cancer, which both did so much to support me throughout treatment. I have also added a fifth partner charity for each leg of my journey outside the UK (regional partner charities) to provide much-needed support for work being done in some of the less fortunate parts of the world through which I have travelled.

 

Current Leg: (London!)

Leg 6 (London) replaces the 3,300 km that I would have cycled from the border to Beijing, having not been granted a visa. This leg is an opportunity to maximise visibility, engagement, and fundraising whilst cycling the tandem from prominent locations throughout central London from 19 May to 19 June -- the four year anniversary of my diagnosis. I will conclude the ride in Bristol on 19 June. All funds raised during this leg will be split evenly between my four expedition charity partners: 5K Your Way, Trekstock, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Young Lives vs. Cancer.

(A recent photo of me along my cycling route in the Himalayas of northern Pakistan).

 

Fundraising History:

 

The ride initially aimed to raise £23,000 – £1 for every kilometre cycled. Amazingly, we reached this goal just 15 days into the expedition (see release)! After a wildly successful UK leg of the expedition in so many ways, we had also raised £30,000 (see 14 Feb news release). By 4 November, 2020 at the end of Leg 2, we had successfully raised well over £40,000, including £10,000 for each of the four expedition partner charities (see release)! Leg 3 of the expedition was also wonderfully successful, more than doubling funds raised from the two previous legs combined for a total of more than £94,000 at the end of Leg 3 (see release). Leg 4 of the expedition added another £13k to the total, topping £107,000 by 14 November 2021 (see release). Leg 5 of the expedition added another £6,000 (and quite a bit of in-country donations directly to our regional partners in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh), surpassing £113,000 by 3 May, 2022 (see release)!

Leg 5 (Islamabad, Pakistan to the China/India border near Assam, India) was in partnership with three regional charity partners. In Pakistan, Bristol2Beijing partnered with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, Pakistan, which provides state-of-the art cancer care facilities and financially supports treatment for over 75% of underprivileged patients. Whilst in India (before and after passing through Bangladesh), Bristol2Beijing partnered with CanKids KidsCan, a national NGO working in partnership with 121 Cancer centres which treat over 12,000 new childhood cancer cases every year. In Bangladesh, Bristol2Beijing partnered with World Child Cancer’s efforts in Bangladesh to improve paediatric oncology services across seven government hospitals and to improve the quality of life of children with cancer who unfortunately cannot be cured. One fifth of funds raised during this leg of the expedition (15 November 2021 - 3 May 2022) supported the regional charity partners, corresponding to funds raised when I was in each country. I'm proud that we were able to raise more than £1,200 online to be divided between these outstanding charities, and much more in each country through direct contributions.

Leg 4 (Bukhara, Uzbekistan to Islamabad, Pakistan) was in partnership with The BEARR Trust. The organisation focuses on health and social welfare issues, with particular emphasis on care of vulnerable groups and reform of the way the state deals with or looks after them. Their work with small and medium-sized voluntary and charitable organisations spans across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. One fifth of funds raised during this leg of the expedition (11 June 2021 - 14 November 2021) supported The BEARR Trust. I'm proud that we were able to raise more than £2,000 for their brilliant work within the region.

 

Leg 3 (Chisinau, Moldova to Bukhara, Uzbekistan) was in partnership with ChildAid to Eastern Europe. The organisation works with local partners in Belarus, Moldova, Siberia and Ukraine to create life changing hope and opportunities for children living with disabilities, orphans, those living in vulnerable families and those living with the consequences of conflict. Funds raised during this leg supported one project in Moldova (Tony Hawks Centre) and one in Ukraine (Little Lighthouse). One fifth of funds raised during this leg of the expedition (17 November 2020 - 10 June 2021) supported ChildAid to Eastern Europe. I'm proud that we were able to raise more than £9,000 for their important work.

 

Leg 2 (Dover, UK to Chisinau, Moldova) was in partnership with World Child Cancer (also our partner for Leg 5 in Bangladesh), specifically supporting its local partnership, Care for Kosovo Kids, which I was able to visit in October, 2020 (read more). One fifth of funds raised during this leg of the expedition (20 February 2020 - 17 November 2020) supported World Child Cancer. I'm proud that we were able to raise more than £2,000 for their important work.

 

Leg 1 (Bristol, UK to Dover, UK) was in partnership with the four expedition charity partners, and no fifth regional partner. Each of the expedition charity partners received one fourth of funds raised during this leg of the expedition, including the funds raised in the weeks prior to the expedition start date (1 January 2020 - 20 February 2020). I'm proud that we were able to raise more than £7,000 for each charity during this first stage.

 

You're Invited:

 

I invite you to help us reach our target of £300,000. I now expect to traverse 30,000 kms and 30 countries on 3 wheels (tandem plus trailer), so it only seems appropriate! My deepest gratitude to the 2,000+ donors who have helped us get so far already.

 

100% of the funds we receive via this fundraising platform (or any previous platform) are dedicated to the partner charities of Bristol2Beijing. We have been fortunate to have the support of a few sponsors and benefactors to support many of the expedition expenses to date.

 

To find out more and follow my journey, please visit my website, Facebook, Instagram, or Weibo pages. Please visit my webpage to learn more about my partner charities, my expedition route, my final leg in London, and my fantastic Bristol2Beijing support team.

 

The word cloud below is made from the supportive comments from our first 870 supporters as of the start of Leg 3 of the expedition: