Obex Foundation - Corsica Cycle Challenge - September 2026

They’re still just kids but many are carrying responsibilities and pressures far beyond their years.

Picture a 12-year-old who cooks every evening because a parent is too ill to leave bed. A 9-year-old, constantly hungry or struggling with undiagnosed ADHD, excluded from school for behaviour no one has helped him understand.
A teenager missing lessons to look after a younger sibling because there’s simply no one else.

Through my role as Trustee with the OBEX Foundation, I regularly hear stories like these. They’re not rare, they’re happening every day. Too often, these young people fall behind in education, not through lack of ability, but because life has placed overwhelming obstacles in their path before they’ve even had a fair start. Some are pushed out of school altogether, losing not just learning, but stability, guidance, and hope.

When support doesn’t come in time, the consequences can be stark, limited opportunities, ongoing hardship, and, in some cases, a slide into crime. Not because of who they are, but because of what they’ve had to endure alone.
This isn’t a distant issue. It’s unfolding in our own neighbourhoods, often just around the corner. While many of us benefit from safe homes and good schools, other children nearby are navigating challenges most of us never had to face. They need support, and they need it now.

That’s why OBEX, alongside partners such as the Jason Robinson Foundation, is working across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, in places like Luton and Stevenage, to fund targeted programmes that give vulnerable children the support they deserve and need. But to continue and expand this work, we need your help.

This September, I’ll be taking on another demanding cycling challenge across Corsica, over 350km and more than 5,000m of climbing in just three days, to raise funds for the Jason Robinson Foundation schools programme in our area. It will be physically tough, but it’s nothing compared to the challenges these children face every day.

Thanks to incredible generosity last year, we raised more than £65,000 and brought JRF programmes into five additional local schools. This year, we’re aiming higher, £75,000, to reach even more young people in need. Every rider covers their own costs, so every donation goes directly to supporting these children.

Any contribution you can make will help fund school and community programmes that provide guidance, build confidence, develop life skills, and connect young people with positive role models.

If you’re able, please donate. Thank you for your kindness and helping us “Building Better Futures for every Child”.