INDUSTRY NEWS
RIDOUT’S RACING FOR RAILWAY CHILDREN
Words: Victoria Turner A
ndy Ridout, Managing Director of the railway recruitment company, advance-TRS has set himself a huge challenge; a challenge that will see him endure a vast fresh water swim stretching 3 miles, an agonising 112 mile bike ride, followed by a gruelling 26 mile run, all in all; an Ironman! This physical contest will surely push him to the limit, testing his endurance to the max.
However, in comparison with the daily trials faced by the world’s homeless children, to Andy his challenge is trivial.
Railway Children is his inspiration; a charity that fights for young people who are just like our own nieces, nephews, sons and daughters, all except for one difference; these children live alone, at risk on the streets and suffer exploitation on a daily basis, often whilst taking care of others even younger than themselves. These children are everywhere, in India, in Africa and on our own front door steps.
In the UK a staggering 100,000 children run away from home each year; a shocking fact which generally seems to be ignored by society. Across India and East Africa the problem is so widespread that it has become `normal’. Many children leave their homes as a result of poverty, neglect, abuse and violence. Unfortunately once homeless their problems only grow worse.
As a father of three, Andy has found these stats both shocking and distressing, and as a result has committed to doing everything he can to help fight the intolerable situation.
Over the months leading up to his Ironman, Andy aims to raise a whopping £10,000 for Railway Children and make others aware of the desperation existing around us all.
A spokesperson for the charity went on to say, “Since meeting Andy it has been incredibly apparent that he cares deeply about making a lasting difference to the lives of children. I’ve already been so impressed with his enthusiasm and ability to raise awareness and support for Railway Children.”
WWW.THECONNECTSERIES.CO.UK
Last week Andy delivered a moving and heart felt speech at Derby’s annual Dinner at the Roundhouse event, where he managed to raise a fantastic £3,121.71. Dave Ellis, Fundraising Manager for Railway Children commented, “This was a fantastic achievement; the sum raised could help us to provide three meals a day for an entire month for more than 300 children, children who often haven’t eaten a full meal for days.”
When discovered by Railway Children, brothers Abashi and Haji were two such boys. They were found living on the streets in the Kasarani Zone, Kenya. They had been separated from their mother who had been unable to provide enough income to sustain the family. The charity provided them with much needed rehabilitation whilst project workers from the Undugu Society located their mother, Etana, living in a slum in Nairobi.
Railway Children made it possible for Etana to return to her home town where she was happily reunited with her boys.
Since the relocation the family have settled well, the children have joined school and are progressing steadily.
The story of Abashi and Haji is just one of the happy endings that Railway Children has worked hard to make possible over the years. Unfortunately there are still hundreds of thousands of children throughout the world who continue to suffer on a daily basis.
Please make it possible for the good work to continue. Andy will be endeavouring to reach his £10,000 target over the coming months through entering a number of sporting events, including The London Marathon, The Mudman Challenge and The Great South Run.
You can follow Andy’s progress in the race to beat child poverty on Facebook by ‘liking’ advance T R S or donate to the cause by contacting advance-TRS directly on 01483 361061, or visiting:
www.advance-trs.com
Together, we can put an end to the exploitation of innocence.
RailCONNECT 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84