This April one of our loyal supporters, Marc Ng, took on the challenge of cycling from London to Paris to raise money for Children on the Edge.  Marc not only completed the journey in just four days but exceeded his fundraising target raising over £2500.  We caught up with Marc and found out all the details about his journey.

What inspired you to cycle from London to Paris?

It was a friend of mine, Ash, who first suggested riding to Paris. His 50th was approaching and he wanted to mark this landmark birthday in a 'special way’. Ash and I had both taken up road cycling not that long ago and he decided that riding from London-to-Paris (L2P) would be a good idea. Not wanting to do it on his own, he asked me if I fancied coming along. I said yes…

What training did you do in the run up to the event?

I joined Westerham Cycling Club and went to the Sunday club rides which were roughly 30 miles. I tried where possible to augment these with rides during the week to get an idea of what riding 70-75 miles in a day felt like. This was the average daily distance we would cover cycling to Paris.

I entered the Ordnance Survey Equalizer Sportive early in February. It was 'only' 60 miles but hard work and a good way to gauge how we were progressing. Also where I live in Kent it is hard to avoid the hills!  So every ride felt like a workout even if it wasn’t very long.

How did you first hear about COTE and what inspired you to fundraise for us?

I have known Ben Wikes (Children on the Edge,  Head of UK) for 25 years and heard about the charity’s work through him. I have always wanted to do something to raise money for Children on the Edge. I had thought of running the Chichester Half, but I really am not a runner.

I heard about Ben’s ride across the Pyrenees to fundraise for Children on the Edge and that triggered the idea that I could fundraise through cycling, not across a major European mountain range, but the seed had been sown. That seed remained dormant until Ash suggested the L2P ride.

How did you fundraise?

Primarily through tapping into my network of friends via Facebook. I also produced a flyer and did some 'old school' door-to-door appealing for donations. The primary school attended by my daughter kindly mentioned our challenge in a couple of the weekly school bulletins. I also asked my colleagues if they would make a donation.

Do you have a favourite moments from your ride?

Reaching the end of the ride under the Eiffel Tower with my wife Louise waiting there together with our daughters Rebecca and Charlotte, as well as my parents was a highlight. Ash's family had seen us off so to have my family there at the end kind of bookmarked the ride nicely.

Do you have any other future events planned?

I think so, yes. I have already signed up to ride the Prudential London-Surrey 100 in August for another charity. However I hope to get on my bike again for Children on the Edge at some point. I can't say when yet, but there is another ride on the Continent which has pricked my interest, so watch this space....

We would like to say a huge thank you to Marc for his amazing dedication to Children on the Edge. We are so happy to have his support and wish him the best of luck on his next ride! If you would like to fundraise for us please contact serenachana@childrenontheedgeorg. 

Adventure. Challenge. Inspire. Motivate. Live. This words couldn’t describe one of our brilliant fundraisers any better. Last year Alan Lau set himself the challenge of rowing across the Atlantic solo within 90 days and used his challenge to fundraise for Children on the Edge.

Alan smashed his target and completed his row in only 55 days while also raising £2000 for Children on the Edge. We were able to interview Alan now back on dry land and fully rested. Here’s what he had to say. 

What inspired you to row across the atlantic?

I first came across the idea whilst sitting at work one winter day, and on the news there was a small article about a woman who was about to reach the Caribbean. I said to myself at that moment what a great challenge that would be. From then on, the idea grew like a seed in my mind, and then I started living and breathing the project. That was back in 2008! 

Did you any have rowing experience before your trip?

Before 2008 I had no rowing experience. In 2010, I briefly joined the Southampton Amateur Rowing Club, and gained a little experience.

Do you have a favourite moment from your row?

This is a very difficult one. But I think the one that really stands out for me are the moments spent star gazing. Seeing the stars out there was truly amazing. But at the same time, it is a little frustrating, it just makes me want to travel the stars. I saw a shooting star as well!

How did you hear about Children on the Edge and what inspired you to fundraise for us?

To be honest, at the beginning, I was looking to support an animal charity, but then through my own experiences and opportunities in life, I started seeing how many children often do not get a good start to life, let alone achieving personal dreams. That’s when I started looking to support a children’s charity. 

I came across COTE by chance on the JustGiving site, but when I looked into the site to understand a bit more about the charity, I noticed how small COTE is. I always prefer smaller charities, so naturally COTE appealed very much. I also popped down to the office in Chichester for a visit, and met up with the team, and also Monty. 

What did you do to  fundraise?

Since the project was self funded, I could not spend as much time as I wanted on fund raising activities. The fund raising channels were mainly just through word by mouth, people seeing the boat and the link, and articles in the local press.

Do you have any  other challenges you would like to do in the future?

I am planning the Triple7Quest for 2018. It is quite a way away since I need to learn to love running first. Let alone 7 marathons in 7 days in 7 continents. But at the same time, I am also planning on another adventure. Not quite as grand as the Atlantic Row, but something that would be fun, and a LOT less costly financially! I have several ideas in mind, one is motorbiking around Asia, and the other is walking the Silk Road, which has been another of my childhood fantasies. Maybe I will end up doing both.

We can’t thank Alan enough for his amazing support and wish him the best of luck for his next challenge! If you would like to sponsor Alan please visit https://www.justgiving.com/curryfishball-cote. 

If you have any ideas about your own fundraising, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.