Anthony Browne, MP for South Cambridgeshire has completed a 100km bike ride raising over £12,000 for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Starting out on Saturday 26 March, the route spanned 106km of country roads from the outskirts of London to the Cambridge Country Club in Bourn. Mr Browne completed the challenge in 5 hours and 22 minutes, updating residents and fundraisers through videos on his Facebook page.
Having launched his fundraising bid on Monday 7 March, Mr Browne reached his first target of £1,000 within 48 hours and his doubled target of £2,000 within 72 hours. In total, he has raised £12,439 from 240 supporters, increasing to £14,987.50 when including Gift Aid.
The funds raised will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee, an alliance of UK's aid, charity, corporate, public, and broadcasting sectors that activates at times of crisis to rally the nation's compassion and ensure that funds raised go to agencies best placed to deliver effective and timely relief to people most in need.
Alongside the charity effort, Mr Browne has also been working in Parliament to support increased sanctions against Russia and on further efforts to aid refugees. This includes calling for sanctions on gas and oil exports, quizzing sanctions experts as a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and meeting the Prime Minister to ask for a fair, open, and robust system to support refugees.
Mr Browne commented: “I am delighted and relieved to have completed this challenge for so urgent a cause. It is by far the longest ride I have done, and I felt absolutely shattered at the end. I did it with five friends, all of them fitter than me, and we were lucky with the conditions - fabulous sunshine lighting the way through our gorgeous countryside.
“Thank you to everyone who so generously sponsored me. I am bowled over by the selflessness of our community at times like this. Many constituents have also let me know that they had already supported humanitarian efforts in other ways, and I want to thank everyone who has been involved.
“I remain proud of how South Cambridgeshire comes together in a crisis, as we have seen so often in the last few years. All those impacted by this war need our support, and I'll be doing all I can inside Parliament and out to ensure they receive it.”
