Rianna cycles round the Knavesmire to raise cash to help refugees in the UK
A mother who has a passion for cycling is raising cash for refugees by clocking up over 50 miles on the Knavesmire in York.
Rianna Rohlfing says she is doing it because refugees have always been something she has wanted to support.
“I have two young boys, and knowing that a lot of these people are coming over fleeing war torn areas I just know that I would do anything that extreme to keep my family safe and these people need as much help and support as we can give”
Refugee Routes is a fundraising bike ride where you’re in control of the distance and the fundraising target. The organiser says the idea is to ride a bike, to provide a bike.
Every £100 people like Rianna raise means they can give one refugee their own bike.
She has chosen to ride the equivalent of a return trip from Dover to Calais, a route used by refugees which is always in the news.
Rianna told YorkMix: “The funds I raise will help donate refurbished bikes to refugees, giving them a free mode of transport so that they can access vital support services, including education and legal advice, while also drastically improving their mental health.”
She added “The plight of refugees forced to undergo terrifying and arduous journeys to escape persecution and war to keep their families safe is something I feel for every day. To traverse dangerous land and treacherous waters to just feel safe and secure is something I could never even imagine enduring.”
Rianna is a keen cyclist and works at Get Cycling CIC in York. That’s a not for porift community interest company. Read more here
