York Friends Undertaking Fundraising Cycle Ride in Aid of the Future of Taru Charity

York Friends Undertaking Fundraising Cycle Ride in Aid of the Future of Taru Charity

A group of five friends from York are taking part in a 190 mile sponsored cycle ride to raise funds for the Future of Taru, a charity that in the last five years has built and continues to operate a primary and a secondary school in the small town of Taru, Kenya.

The group are headed up by Mark Mattinson, the General Manager of the York Dungeon, who is also a sponsor and a Trustee for the charity.

Last year Mark and his friends cycled 160 miles from Whitehaven to Whitley Bay, raising around £4,800 for the Future of Taru. This fundraising assisted with completing the construction of the secondary school, including the roof, doors and windows. 

They are now returning to the roads this July to raise further funds for the Future of Taru, with Mark being joined by three of last year’s team, and also joined by his younger brother Andrew. From the 8th to 10th of July they will be cycing around 190 miles from Carlisle to Berwick upon Tweed, via Annan on the Scottish West coast and Edinburgh on the Scottish East coast. 

This year’s fundraising will help the charity in upgrading the school’s solar power panels, thus improving their sustainability and reducing their long term energy costs, along with converting a room at the secondary school into a dormitory as many of the children are orphans. The team of fundraisers are funding all of their own travel and accommodation costs, with 100% of money raised being donated directly to the charity.

Mark said “the people of York have shown amazing generosity in supporting our work with the Future of Taru over the last two years. We have previously received football kits donated by the York City FC Foundation, along with local clubs including Strensall Tigers and Hamilton Panthers, as well as football boots and school shoes from local families. I have visited Taru in early 2020 and seen the first hand the positive impact this charity is having on the community of Taru, and hope that we can continue to help these families and their children build a better future.” 

If you would like to sponsor the cyclists, you can find out more information by going to https://www.futureoftaru.org/c2b

Future of Taru is a non-profit, registered charity, who provide a school, top quality education and food, at realistic and affordable prices, to support the people of Taru, and continue to identify children who are in need of sponsorship. There are currently around 310 children enrolled across the primary and secondary schools, with 193 of these being sponsored by the charity’s sponsors.

Coast to coast cycle road 2021                                                                  Future of Taru - pupils

Future of Taru - York City football kits