If you happen to see a big yellow rickshaw travelling through our area tomorrow, make sure you give it a wave as it embarks on its journey from Calais to Manchester all in aid of Children in Need.
BBC programme The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge will travel through Welshampton, alongside the Mere and into Overton along the A495 and B5068 as part of its 61.3 mile journey from Ironbridge to Chester Zoo, before it continues North to reach Salford on Friday, November 16.
The Rickshaw Challenge has launched with a new route, a new rickshaw, and a new team, which was announced live during The One Show on Wednesday October 10.
In a first for the annual Challenge, which is now in its eighth year, the route started in France.
A team of six young people, all of whom have been supported by BBC Children in Need-funded projects, are being joined by The One Show’s Matt Baker on the eight day challenge.
The challenge kicked off Friday November 9 in Calais, where the team began to pedal 31 miles through the service tunnel of the Channel Tunnel – a route only travelled previously by the likes of professional cyclists. Once through the tunnel, the team the began the journey north from Folkestone to make their way through England and Wales, before finally finishing in Salford on Friday during the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show.
This year a new rickshaw has been built by a team of engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking. Experts at McLaren Racing and McLaren Applied Technologies have created the next generation rickshaw from the ground up. With their help the rickshaw is now even more accessible to the young people taking on the eight day challenge.
The team’s progress will be broadcast live on The One Show throughout the week, as co-presenter Alex Jones follows the team on their 423 mile journey.
Ahead of this year’s challenge, Matt Baker said: “This is the eighth year that we’ll be heading out on the roads with the Rickshaw Challenge and I can’t wait to get back in the saddle alongside six truly inspirational young people.
“Every year the support that we get never ceases to amaze me, it’s fantastic to see how people from all across the UK get behind the Challenge and I’m looking forward to seeing all those friendly faces willing us on again this year, and helping us to raise so much money for a charity which is incredibly close to my heart.”
The One Show viewers will be able to follow Team Rickshaw’s progress on the show each day, but the full route – including a real-time update of the rickshaw’s progress – is also available at http://pudsey.viewranger.com/