Bangers on Bikes

A grueling 900 km charity bike ride will take place over the half-term break, featuring Mr Bob from the Primary PE Department raising money for some very worthy causes.

Over the half-term break, our very own Mr. Bob from the PE Department will be taking part in the 9th annual Bangers on Bikes Charity Ride which will tour Isaan, following the Mekong River.  It is a 900 km bicycle ride over 5 days culminating in their grand arrival in Bangkok on the Friday of half-term.

Ten years ago, the Old Bangkok Bangers Rugby Club was involved in a programme coaching rugby to underprivileged children around Thailand. On one of these road trips, Bob was coaching kids from the Asia Center Foundation (ACF) from Phuket. He was struck by the enthusiasm of the kids, the sheer poverty that some of the children came from, the dedication of the staff and the objectives of the ACF Center. While talking to Roelien Muller, Director of ACF, it became glaringly obvious that the ACF really needed funding and so Bob came up with the idea of doing a cycle charity ride from Bangkok to Phuket. And just like that concept of the Bangers on Bikes charity ride was born. Nine years on and the Bangers on Bikes are still helping underprivileged children. More than 25 riders have participated over the years and have raised in excess of 5.2 million baht. As well as supporting ACF in Phuket, the Bangers on Bikes also donate to the Nak Suu Tigers Rugby Academy in Bangkok which is a charity for underprivileged children in the Kloeng Toey region.

The main goal was to try and raise enough money to allow the ACF to build a school.  Nine years later and this dream is becoming a reality. The ACF has bought land and work has started on the first building. The project is due to be completed in 2 years’ time (funds permitting).

Over the years, Bangers on Bikes have cycled from Ho Chi Minh, Yangon, Chiang Mai and Phuket to Bangkok as well as from Bangkok to Phuket.  All the riders fund their trip themselves so every single baht we raise goes directly to our charities.

If you would like to have more information about the ride and charities then please click here to have a look at the brochure for this year.

If you would like to make a donation, then please either talk directly to Mr Bob in the  PE Office, or send him an email at bob.pe@standrews.ac.th. At the end of every day you will receive a little write up letting you know how the day went.