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UNITED KINGDOM: A-level student pedals his way to success for suffering Christians
By John Newton
Conor Murphy, who cycled from London to Swansea to raise funds for Aid to the Church in Need, crouches next to a milepost 184 miles from London
An A-level student has cycled more than 200 miles from London to Swansea to raise money forAid to the Church in Need.
Conor Murphy, 17, and his father, Roger, travelled the 230 miles from London to the Mumbles, a seaside village west of Swansea, to raise money for persecuted and suffering Christians.
They set out from London on Tuesday, 11th August, arriving safely in Wales four days later.
The father and son team set off from Heathrow Airport shortly after 7am on the first day. Roger had just flown back from the USA and changed into his cycling gear at the airport.
Conor said cycling with his father was “great fun and a good experience”.
The hardest part of the ride came on the final day when they faced two hills, the second one a steep slope taking them to their final destination, the home of Conor’s grandfather, Dr Seamus O’Brien.
Dr O’Brien, who lives on top of Newton Hill in the Mumbles, is an area secretary for Aid to the Church in Need, helping to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
Conor said: “I didn’t get off the bike once on Newton Hill, which I consider a point of pride.”
At the end of his epic journey Conor admitted that he couldn’t sleep on his back for three days because of saddle soreness.
Conor attends Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Kensington, London, where he is studying for his A-levels. His 75 sponsors have promised him £550, most of which he hopes to collect when the school term starts in September.
Conor said he chose to support Aid to the Church in Need partly because of his grandfather’s involvement with the charity and because of his admiration for the organisation’s work.
“I don’t think you’d hear much about oppression of Christians if it wasn’t for Aid to the Church in Need,” he said.
It is not too late to sponsor Conor Murphy in support of his bike ride for Aid to the Church in Need. You can make a donation online.
If you are taking part in a challenge event, why not find out more about fundraising for Aid to the Church in Need?