I’ve been cycling a lot lately in my very hilly current base of County Durham. Cycling is my escape. I’m working out, enjoying beautiful scenery and doing a lot of thinking. I started to think how could I really challenge myself through cycling, do something positive during Covid and help the charity. I started mentioning the idea of LEJOG to a few people, did some research and before I knew it, I’d talked myself into it! As you’ll see communicated on the charity’s website, I believe the world is deeply unfair and those who are in poverty should be helped by the more fortunate. 

I’ve seen poverty all over the world among the 114 countries I’ve visited. But a research trip to India made me realise I could do something about it and The Road to Parity was born. I have been largely funding the charity myself for the past 18 months and we’re making great progress with our NGO partner in India. Now though, we want to scale up and lift more people out of the misery of poverty.

That’s where I need your help. So I would say, listen to your conscience. I know things are difficult for many people at the moment because of COVID 19 - but if your bank account has more in it than you need, please do the right thing and donate.

We’re helping the poorest of the poor when they never imagined help would come. Many are illiterate and exist along with fellow household members on less than 35p each a day. 

The business model is very simple. We provide a small grant (average so far 52 pounds) so that carefully vetted beneficiaries can buy a piece of equipment or supplies to get a business started. It could be a cart and some vegetables for a street stall or a sewing machine to begin a tailoring business. 

You should see the joy when desperately poor people are given a chance. It brings immense pride, financial independence and a wonderful realisation that the extreme poverty they have endured is no longer a life sentence .