I am delighted to be writing this blog to launch the Tour Des Hubs, a 392 mile long cycle ride between all ten of our University Hubs. In April, I’ll be joining colleagues and students from across the Hub network to take on this gruelling challenge – visiting 7 cities in just 6 days. Starting at Warwick, we’re heading (in order) to Oxford, Bristol, Southampton, Winchester, Kingston, West London, SOAS and Cambridge.
We’re cycling to raise money for Student Hubs (find out more about what we do here and our impact here). I’ve been involved with Student Hubs for nearly 5 years now, since I set up Warwick Hub with a group of other students in 2011. Before then, I’d made some friends and was involved in various social and environmental campaigns, but I didn’t feel connected to a community of people who were motivated by the same things as I was.
Being part of Warwick Hub transformed my university experience. Within a few weeks of Warwick Hub’s launch, campaigners, volunteers and fundraisers tackling a huge range of social issues came together and formed a community of people who not only wanted to change the world, but change the attitudes of our peers – making ‘doing good’ at University the norm and not the exception. This made my final year the best of my life so far and cemented my desire to pursue a career in social impact.
I’m cycling because I believe that the work Student Hubs does has a transformative impact – on local communities we work in, and on the students who work with us. For our generation to tackle the social and environmental challenges we’re faced with, we need graduates to have the necessary skills, experience and motivation to dedicate their lives to finding solutions. Student Hubs’ work does this.
I’m not a seasoned challenge doer or fitness fanatic. I’ve toyed with the idea of training for a half marathon but the lure of watching another box set on a cold Sunday morning has always gotten the better of me. Still, I’m ready to put the work in and follow the necessary training plans for the Tour Des Hubs!
Here’s how you can get involved:
– Sign up to join us (for the whole 392 miles, or 1-2 legs) – whether you’re a student, alumni or friend of the Hub, come along for the ride!
– Sponsor us to complete the Tour (my TotalGiving Page is here)
– Help us out with food / accommodation / gear – if you run a restaurant / cafe / B&B / bike shop in any of our Hub cities and would be willing to donate a meal / beds for a night, please get in touch with your local Hub. It would be greatly appreciated!
– Match fund the Tour Des Hubs – we’re looking for corporate partners to match fund the sponsorship we raise. Get in touch with Anna if you would like to support us in this way.