Dubai residents to cycle across Thailand

Written by Writer on Saturday, October 25th, 2008

Dubai residents to cycle across Thailand

By Alice Johnson, Staff Reporter
Published: October 25, 2008, 00:08

Dubai: Children with limb deformities are set to benefit from a unique fundraising project organised by a team of Dubai residents.

They will be pedalling across Thailand, covering 1,000 kilometres at between 100-200 kilometres a day, in just nine days, to raise funds for the Little Wings Foundation.

So far, there are 26 confirmed cyclists, but the organisers are hoping to attract a total of 40.

Running from October 24 to November 2, the route will take the cyclists from Bangkok through Angkor Wat to Pattaya.

Dubai-based paediatric orthopaedic surgeon Dr Mark Sinclair set up the Little Wings Foundation with a group of friends, who wanted to make a difference to the lives of children in the region.

“The idea is to help children with limb deformities in order to give them a second chance. The problem is that they could go to school, but because of their limb deformities they are ostracised. Sometimes they can’t go to school at all - no school equals no job and with no job there’s no family or life,” he said.