Ride the Route 2023 raises £45,000 for vulnerable children

More than £45,000 has been raised for vulnerable children as a result of this year’s Ride the Route charity event. 

Now in its second year, Ride the Route 2023 took place on 7-9 September and saw twenty-four volunteer cyclists from eight organisations pedal 365km in just three days to raise money for at-risk children on the streets. 

Ride the Route follows the East Coast Main Line (ECML), between railway stations London King's Cross and Inverness/Aberdeen. The event is organised and supported by several organisations on the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) to raise money for the Railway Children Charity.  

Cyclists in this year’s event rode from Edinburgh to York, following the 2022 ride from York to London. 

Toufic Machnouk, Director for Industry Partnerships at Network Rail and Programme Director for the East Coast Digital Programme, said: “Ride the Route was established thanks to the pioneering team spirit of the East Coast Digital Programme, which is uniting our industry like never before. We are working to deliver much-needed digital signalling on an intercity mainline and I’m delighted that same teamwork is also helping the lives of vulnerable children.” 

Mark Fielding-Smith, Ride the Route founder and AtkinsRéalis National & Digital Services Director for Rail, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with the success of Ride the Route 2023. This was an exceptional challenge which brought riders and support crew together from across the rail industry forming new friendships. We rode as a family, climbing 3800m across 365km in record-breaking temperatures, with tremendous spirit and memorable humour – fuelled by the knowledge we are helping protect vulnerable children. Everyone had fun and we are all keen to start planning the 2024 event.” 

Rob Capener, Railway Children Chief Executive Officer said: “We’re incredibly thankful for the continued support from ECDP through their Ride The Route challenges and every rider that participates. The money that they raise is vital in helping us to safeguard and protect vulnerable young people on the transport networks within the UK, Tanzania and India.” 

Event sponsors included AtkinsRéalis, PwC and Mercury3 Consult. London North Eastern Railway (LNER) also provided rail travel to cyclists and support crew. 

As with the inaugural Ride the Route, organisers will again host a gala dinner to celebrate the ride’s success and raise even more money for Railway Children. The dinner is planned for March 28th 2024 in York, with funds raised via ticket sales and a charity auction. 

Combined funds raised for Railway Children from the 2022 ride and 2023 gala dinner were over £90,000. 

Donors are welcome to make one-off donations at: Make a donation to Railway Children for ECDP Ride the Route 2024 (enthuse.com)

Ride the Route organisers are planning to bring the event to other routes preparing for deployment of the European Train Control System (ETCS) in the UK, such as West Coast North and Transpennine routes. Interested riders and companies considering sponsorship for 2024 Ride the Route are invited to email [email protected]

 

ENDS

Key statistics from Ride the Route 2023 
Day 1: 139.87km / 1505m ascent / 1513m descent 
Day 2: 122.83km / 1246m ascent / 1248m descent 
Day 3: 103.41km / 481m ascent / 530m descent 
 

About Ride the Route

The rail industry as a collective supports the Railway Children in many ways. Inspired by the fantastic support the rail industry gives through the annual Three Peaks by Rail, as well as hosting the Railway Ball (the sector’s biggest fundraiser), the organisations involved set out to create a new annual endurance event to epitomise the industry’s collaboration and tenacity. They wanted to harness the amazing spirit of the ECDP Family to do even more good outside of the Programme. The ride was proposed not just as a one-off but as an annual undertaking that brings our industry together in a new way. 
 

About Railway Children 

Railway Children has been fighting for children alone and at risk on the streets for over 25 years. During that time, they’ve reached more than 275,000 children in India, the UK and East Africa.  
Millions of children still live alone on the streets where they suffer abuse and exploitation. In the UK, society often denies their existence, and in other countries the problem is so prevalent that it has become ‘normal’. 
Railway Children race to reach children as soon as they arrive on the streets and intervene before an abuser can. Their pioneering work enables them to get to street children before the streets get to them.