At Trivelo we are privileged to have a wonderful community around us. For this weeks blog we are thrilled to share of the story of one of our close friends going above and beyond later this year. Siva Sharma shares below what he has planned for the Ride4Ceylon Charity Cycle Ride 2022. He will be taking on this beautiful and brutal ride to raise money for an incredibly worthy cause. Read on to find out more about the ride and about how the charity has made a real difference to an area much in need of support.
Ride4Ceylon Charity History
Ride4Ceylon began in 2017 as , a sponsored charity cycle ride through Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The brainchild of a group of friends from Colombo, Sri Lanka. The charity aims to rebuild lives and communities devastated by three decades of civil war. Passionate to make a contribution to Sri Lanka’s future, the Group with friends worldwide, chose to redevelop and expand the historic Green Memorial Hospital, Manipay, in the war-devastated Jaffna Peninsula. And so the idea of a 480km charity cycle ride from Colombo to Jaffna was born.
How the money raised helps
Located in the far north of the island, the Green Memorial Hospital, Manipay, had long served the local community. Yet thirty years of civil war had destroyed infrastructure, community and lives, leaving shattered pieces of a once-thriving region. The chance to rebuild the hospital and expand its services offered a compelling cause: to meet a real need and revive a community broken physically and emotionally by war. The group opted for a bicycle ride as a visible and practical means to raise awareness, funds and momentum for the hospital. The inaugural ride of 6 riders took place in February 2017. This was followed by the February 2018 ride of 25 riders, comprising friends from overseas. Together, the 2017 and 2018 rides helped collect over £70, 000 for the hospital.
Growth of the Charity since 2017
The 2017 ride supported neuro rehabilitation services and the renovation of nurses’ living quarters. In 2018, donations included support for alcohol rehabilitation and £10, 000 of cash and goods towards the construction of a new Gabriella Rasiah Paediatric and Cardiology ward. In memory of rider David Rasiah’s daughter, who died tragically at the age of 17 in July 2017.
The 2019 ride proved to be very successful & exceeded targets & expectations. The ride raised £65k as well as £35k worth of sporting equipment from the Lord Taverners & Sydney Football Club. The equipment was distributed island wide. The Sydney cycling club City Tatts also sent 8 riders to participate. They managed to obtain a much needed new ambulance for the hospital. The majority of the funds raised in 2019 be used to renovate the paediatric wing.
The 2020 ride had 45 cyclists from 6 countries, bringing in £102,000 which was utilised to develop the Paediatric ward. The 2021 ride was held as a pilot ride in preparation for 2022 due to the pandemic. 7 riders covered a distance of over 450km in 4 days.
2022 Ride4Ceylon Charity Ride Team
The 2022 ride will take place from 2 – 5th March, and is expected to involve riders from around the world. Joining from countries such as Australia, Canada, UK, USA, India and Romania. The focus is on raising funds to redevelop the Hospital’s historic Mission House into a ground-breaking cancer care and research facility, Hope Beyond Cancer (HBC).
The team will cycle 480km over the course of 4 days. During this time, the weather in Sri Lanka will be extremely hot and humid. Because of this, cycling will need to start at 4:00 AM each day and stop by 11:00 AM.
How you can help this Charity
I gladly welcome all generous donations and appreciate your kindness.
Please use the link to donate to this amazing cause.
Thank you very much
Siva Sharma
