Our Mission & Charities

Hi everyone, and welcome to Cycling To The Rugby World Cup!!

We are Tom and Jodie, and are currently on a mission to raise £30,000 by cycling unassisted, over 30,000 km though 28 countries from Twickenham Stadium to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in Auckland, NZ - check out our route so far...

Our mission is two fold. Not only are we trying to raise £30,000 and awareness for our two chosen charities (details below). We want to connect rugby clubs in some of the more remote and underpriviledged regions of the world with those that are more fortunate. We have found the spirit of the game is very much alive wherever we go, despite the hardships that many of the communities we've encoutered deal with and that alone is our motivation for the final few thousand kms!

We have cycled through -25 degree weather in China where it was snowing INSIDE our tent to +45 degrees in Iran, within a few kms of Bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan and slept on the beach side of the Tsunami walls on the beaches of Japan. Most importantly, we have met some truly inspirational people along the way and have some great stories to tell!! You can read all about our journey so far by clicking here and choosing any country!

We only need to raise £1 per kilometre of pedalling to reach our target. Please help us make this happen!

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far, we would love to hear from you if you would like to join in our adventure! Please e-mail us at .

Jodie and Tom

 

Tag Rugby Development Trust - click on the icon to donate!

The Tag Rugby Development Trust is a rugby based charity that was formed in 2002. It exists to help improve the lives of children in the UK, but mainly in some of the poorest regions of the world. They currently work with orphanages and government schools in India, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Mexico and Romania using the game of Tag Rugby as their vehicle. They fund our tours through volunteers who pay to join the adventure and who work closely with the children in a coaching capacity. Almost without exception TAG volunteers say that the tour is a life changing experience for them.

Taking the essential philosophy of rugby to the places they go to is arguably the most important rugby export. Their values are many but in essence revolve around these:

* Respect
* Teamwork
* Creating friendships
* Breaking down social & geographical barriers
* Co-operation between different communities
* Tolerance
* Exploring & accepting different cultures
* Achievement & fulfilment
* Making a difference

TRT has returned many times to the countries and schools they originally engaged with because leaving a legacy and sustaining their work is pivotal to their mission. In their short existence they have coached and developed nearly 20,000 kids. But what is more important is that these 20,000 kids have had their eyes opened to what is possible when people work as teams, communicate openly and break down psychological barriers.

Rays of Sunshine - click on the icon to donate!

One of our chosen charities is Rays of Sunshine Children's Charity which  exists to grant the wishes of children who are living with serious or life-threatening illnesses between the ages of 3-18 who live in the United Kingdom.

With your help they and their families can experience the joy and excitement of doing something they've only ever dreamt of before.

Help us turn wishes into happy memories.