Category: 2022 Blog

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 runs from Sunday, 20 November, through until the final on 18 December.

Did you know that the Trafficking In Persons (TIP) 2020 report notes that “within Europe’s soccer industry alone, it is estimated there are 15,000 human trafficking victims each year”? They are trafficked by the false promise of trials with professional football clubs that do not exist. Instead, they become enslaved and exploited, victims of modern slavery.

Why not also show your support to empower survivors of modern slavery to cycle by signing up and using your pedal power at our annual Cycle Revolution fundraiser, from 2-4 December, during the World Cup? #CycleRevolution

Challenge yourself, keep fit and support those less fortunate. Ride your bike, change a life

The second Freewheel Hub was launched on 23 September. The launch took place pitch-side at St Andrew’s, the home of Birmingham City Football Club. The ground was the mid-point of a 25-mile bike ride, led by Gordon Miller, Ride for Freedom founder, that started and finished at the Biffa depot in Tipton, West Midlands.

Several colleagues from the Freewheel West Midlands Hub’s partners and supporters, including Aviva, Biffa, Halfords, Medaille Trust, Migrant Help, Orbea and Smart Solutions, joined the canal-side ride and welcomed the cyclists to their Birmingham facilities enroute.

The event was part of the week-long activities to launch the Freewheel West Midlands Hub. The previous Saturday, Birmingham City and its corporate partner, Biffa, invited Miller to showcase the Freewheel programme and talk with Blues’ fans about modern slavery and particularly human/child trafficking in football.

Miller said: “The Trafficking in Persons 2020 Report noted there are 15,000 victims annually in the name of football in Europe alone. Many are children/youths who are trafficked from Africa by criminals with the promise of trials that do not exist. Instead, they became exploited and enslaved.”

Ride For Freedom’s ‘Show A Red Card’ campaign shines a light on this issue. Since June 2021, Ride For Freedom has engaged, through participatory bike rides, with more than 30 football clubs across several leagues in England, including the Premier League, and in the German Bundesliga.

A Blues’ spokesperson said: “We are proud to welcome Biffa and its charity partner Ride For Freedom to St Andrew’s. Modern slavery is all too present in our communities – and is an issue the impacts football – and we stand behind them to raise awareness to eradicate this scourge from our game and society.”

The Freewheel West Midlands Hub is the second one to be launched this year. The established Freewheel Hub in Barking & Dagenham, London, has already seen upwards of 20 survivors of human trafficking, labour and sexual exploitation, all forms of modern slavery, empowered to cycle since it was launched in March 2022.

Ride For Freedom, a not-for-profit social enterprise, delivers the service by giving 20-30 survivors per annum at each Freewheel Hub bikes and accessories to keep, and providing them with cycling proficiency and road awareness training to the Government endorsed, national Bikeability standard.

Mel Flogdell, Biffa’s Divisional HR Director, said: “We take a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery of any kind, so we’re thrilled to support Gordon and the Ride For Freedom Freewheel West Midland Hub to reinforce what we’re doing to tackle the problem.”

#ShowARedCard #EndModernSlavery #RideForFreedom

About Ride For Freedom

Ride For Freedom’s SDG 8.7 aligned mission is to harness the universal appeal of cycling to raise awareness, educate and forge partnerships to end modern slavery and to provide remedy to survivors through its operational Freewheel programme.

Ride For Freedom achieves its mission by creating and leading unique cycling challenges and events and by partnering with high impact sports clubs, companies and aligned charities.

The cycling challenges fundraise to support the development of Freewheel by Ride For Freedom that empowers survivors of modern slavery to cycle.

The intended outcomes are that survivors will gain additional independence and mobility, and improved mental and physical health and wellbeing to support their rehabilitation into society.

Please donate to make a difference to their lives.

If you’d like to fundraise for Ride For Freedom, please get in touch info@RideForFreedom.org

Dagenham on 25 March 2022. The opening took place on the UN International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade with a cycle starting at Dagenham & Redbridge FC. The route went via Barking Town Hall and several anti-slavery landmarks before finishing at the Buxton Memorial at Victoria Tower Gardens beside the Houses of Parliament, SW1.

Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, who joined the cyclists at Dagenham & Redbridge FC, said:  “This borough has historically led the way in fighting for justice, equality and decency, which is why we’re proud to support Gordon and his superb campaigning against the scourge of modern-day slavery and in their support for survivors.”

The Freewheel remediation programme empowers survivors – women, children and men – of modern slavery and human trafficking to cycle to support their physical and mental health, independence, mobility, and their reintegration into society. At Freewheel Barking & Dagenham, during 2022, 20-30 survivors, referred by charities Hestia and STOP THE TRAFFIK, will be given a bike and accessories and training in cycling proficiency and road awareness. The training will be delivered by Vandome Cycles, through the national cycle training programme, Bikeability.

Pat Hayes, Managing Director for Be First, the borough’s regeneration arm, said: “Gordon’s work in the fight against modern slavery is truly inspiring. We’re proud to support him and The Freewheel programme which is an outstanding example of providing practical help to the victims of modern day slavery. It’s deeds not words which count.”

Miller, who is the Founder and Team Leader of Ride For Freedom, was joined for the launch by more than 30 cyclists from the Freewheel Barking & Dagenham Hub’s partners, including Be First, Berkeley Group, Countryside Properties, EcoWorld, L&Q, Wates, Weston Homes, Willmott Dixon, Barking & Dagenham Cycling Club and Vandome Cycles.

He said: “Slavery was abolished almost 200 years ago, in 1833, but modern slavery remains all around us, often hidden in plain sight. More than 40 million people worldwide are enslaved at any given time and thousands in the U.K. Today, I’m delighted that Ride For Freedom and our Barking & Dagenham Freewheel Hub partners have come together to launch the Hub, and harness the universal appeal of cycling to unite our voices and advocate to ‘End Modern Slavery.”

Freewheel Barking & Dagenham is the first of the hubs to open. Ride For Freedom is in discussions with several charities and companies regarding establishing hubs in other UK regions. It also aims to found hubs internationally, which is one of the objectives of The Ride For Freedom German Bundesliga Cycling Tour 2022.

Ride For Freedom welcomes donations of bikes and accessories for its Freewheel programme – contact info@RideForFreedom.org if you would like to donate or discuss supporting our work in other ways.

https://rideforfreedom.org.uk/freewheel-barking-dagenham/ #RideForFreedom #EndModernSlavery