FOUR Coventrians will be braving a 350-mile cycle ride from Edinburgh to Birmingham in just four days to raise vital cash for Sikh Helpline UK.
Urmila Prajapati, Akz Sandhu, Jatinder Cheema and Charandeep Singh Dahal will be among around 30 cyclists to be setting off on Thursday (August 3.)
The first day will see them travel 120 miles to Newcastle, before continuing to Leeds on Friday.
Saturday’s cycle will see the group travel to Derby before arriving in West Bromwich at 2pm on Sunday.
The riders will be greeted at the Guru Har Rai Gurdwara car park by dignitaries including West Midlands Lord Lieutenant Sir John Crabtree for an awards ceremony.
The national confidential helpline offers support for those struggling with their mental health as well as alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence, bullying, racism, hate crimes, and relationship issues.
They also help people to manage mental and physical wellbeing including organising bike rides and providing free lessons in West Bromwich.
Since the pandemic, calls for the helpline have gone up 64 per cent.
Urmila decided to get involved in the bike ride after being asked by another rider for guidance with their own training regime.
She completed the Lands End to John O’Groats route two years ago and was a Baton Bearer for last year’s Queen’s Baton Relay.
But she said this will be her biggest test yet.
“I’ve been doing a lot of training for this, mostly on my own and this has allowed me to be in the condition to feel I can complete this challenge for a fantastic cause.
“There have been a lot of people who were low and going to commit suicide and thankfully they had the Sikh Helpline to turn to.
Without this service many might not be here to tell their story today, it’s amazing what they do and the 100 volunteers who make this possible are unbelievable.”
As the only female rider, Urmilla hopes to inspire more women to take on the challenge at next year’s event.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/urmila-prajapati1? to donate to the bike ride.
