Patrick Ryan, CEO of Hestia, will be testing his endurance to raise vital funds for women and children affected by domestic abuse.

In November, Patrick will be cycling a minimum of 35km per day across Vietnam over 14 days. The 35km distance represents the average number of instances of abuse a woman may experience before finding the confidence to report to the police.

Patrick said, “30,000 children across the UK are made homeless each year due to domestic abuse.We were able to support a fraction of these children last year, but we still need to raise £33,000 for our dedicated children’s services. With these vital funds we can give young people the life they deserve free from fear and abuse.”

Last year, Hestia supported over 3,800 people across their domestic abuse services; this includes 723 women and 599 children in their 32 refuges across 12 London boroughs. Shockingly, two women on average are killed every week in England and Wales by a current or former partner. “Despite the support available, there still needs to be more awareness raised to combat this crisis,”adds Patrick.

Hestia has worked in Wandsworth since 2011, and provides a range of services including domestic abuse refuges for women and children and the Tooting Age Activity Centre which helps over 200 people aged 60 and over to stay active, healthy and independent. Hestia also provides MAPPA (Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements) for their Offenders Service, aimed at supporting individuals to establish and maintain their place in the community by making positive choices to prevent re-offending.

The cycling project is being organised by Dao Tran-Boyd, Corporate Engagement Advisor at Hestia. Dao is appealing to companies across the UK, and their Corporate Social Responsibility teams, to encourage joining the cycling team.

“In our near fifty-year history, Hestia has been able to support a number of people in times of crisis, but we are only able to do so through the generosity of our supporters who donate and fundraise for us,” said Dao, “Vietnam is a beautiful country and, as well as facing challenging cycle routes, there will be the chance to see and experience a new culture.”

During the two week challenge, Hestia are encouraging as many people to cycle as possible to promote positive well-being.

The cycle will also help raise money for Kids Without Borders, which supports and works with children in more than 30 countries providing opportunities for youth, benefiting and changing thousands of lives around the world.

If you are interested in joining The Hestia Cycle Challenge, contact Dao at dao.tranboyd@hestia.org. To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hestiacyclechallenge.