(Islamabad, Pakistan) Monday 15th November 2021

After a 700km cycle from the edge of Karakorum Mountains and through the western edge of the Himalayas down the Kunjerab Pass in northern Pakistan, CanLive founder Luke Grenfell-Shaw has arrived in Islamabad at the end of Leg 4 of his expedition. As always, his pink-and-blue tandem bicycle named Chris has been his steed, powered most recently by tandem stoker TJ, a friend from Luke’s days at Durham University. Today’s milestone comes after cycling 3,987 kilometres from Bukhara, Uzbekistan, including 9,100 metres of climbing during the recent weeks in Pakistan alone.

Leg 4 comprised the crossing of four Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) and some of the highest-altitude parts of Pakistan, covered in a gentle blanket of late October snow. Near the tail end of this leg, Luke and Chris also included a short hop from Tajikistan to Pakistan, via England for some much-needed rest after more than a year on the road since the August 2020 restart of the ride in Germany. Supporters can follow Luke and Chris via GPS.

The tour across Central Asia was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic but despite the ongoing challenges, Bristol2Beijing succeeded in spreading its CanLive message with many new audiences both in-person and virtually. Continually taking care to be as safe as possible, Luke and Chris carried on and even included 110 joiners on the tandem, participating in the thrill of living life to the full while making vivid, cross-cultural connections. The grand total for the expedition is now 16,714 kilometres cycled and 214 joiners across 28 countries!

Leg 4 Partner Charity Successes

Notably during Leg 4, the first “B2B Challenge” engaged more than 100 people across the globe in physical activities of their own design (read the recap and superlatives). For the weeks leading up to the B2B Challenge, CanLiver and Bristol2Beijing team member Kate Price joined Luke and Chris across several hundred kilometres of summery Kazakh heat and terrain.

The several months traversing Central Asia also netted more than £2,200 for each of the five Leg 4 charity partners, including the regional partner, The BEARR Trust. The grand total funds raised for charity since Luke announced the expedition just over two years ago now tops £107,000 from precisely 2,000 individual donors (an additional 301 during Leg 4 alone). Representatives from the BEARR Trust and the four charities that have partnered with Bristol2Beijing partners for the duration of the expedition (Young Lives vs. Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Trekstock, 5k Your Way--Move Against Cancer) each joined Luke in England in late September for a parkrun and a chance to connect whilst Luke was in the UK.

Along the expedition route in Central Asia, Luke was able to make many connections facilitated by the BEARR Trust.

“Congratulations to Luke on completing the fourth leg of his journey,” said Nicola Ramsden, chairman of the BEARR Trust, “and for taking us along with him as his charity partner! We’re proud to have become part of the Bristol2Beijing community, and we’d like to thank everyone for their generosity in supporting The BEARR Trust as well as Luke’s other charities. The community has raised more than £2,000 for BEARR, and this will fund one of our projects next year. When Luke visited our projects in Moldova and Kazakhstan we could see how quickly he established a rapport with the people working to prevent violence against women and girls, or giving young disabled people a chance of employment and independent living. I think they would have happily kept him with them for longer!”

“The BEARR team has been such a brilliant partner for the Central Asia segment of the expedition,” said Luke. “Through them, I have made so many meaningful connections - from visits with women’s rights initiatives in Transnistria to visits with mental health support programmes in Kazakhstan. BEARR has also facilitated several opportunities to share my story and what Bristol2Beijing and CanLive is all about.

“Thanks again to the wellspring of generosity from the Bristol2Beijing community, I couldn’t be happier that we have raised more than £20,000 for our expedition partners. The outpouring of support is humbling, and yet we have so much more work to do.”

New Fundraising Platform

With the imminent global closure of the Virgin Money Giving platform, which has made fundraising for five charities easy for an all-volunteer team, Bristol2Beijing has now launched a new GoFundMe page that will pool donations for equal disbursement to its charity partners. This change invites new opportunities to partner with charities country-by-country rather than for the entirety of an expedition leg. For Leg 5, Bristol2Beijing will be allocating one fifth of funds raised to a charity in Pakistan while Luke is in the country and, subsequently, to a charity in India while Luke is traversing India.

New Regional Partner Charity for Leg 5 -- Pakistan

From Islamabad to the border with India, Bristol2Beijing is thrilled to be partnered with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Lahore, Pakistan. Together with its sister institution in Peshawar, the hospital in Lahore provides state-of-the art cancer care facilities and financially supported treatment for over 75% of deserving patients for the past twenty-seven years. Both the hospitals have earned the Joint Commission International’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation, a 3rd party validation that the charitable organisation is providing free cancer treatment services to underprivileged people in line with international standards.

Later this month, the team at Shaukat Khanum in Lahore will welcome Luke to their leading research and care facility for a chance to learn about cancer care in Pakistan and to share with staff and patients about his own story.

“We truly admire the great work that Luke has been doing by supporting the local charities while chasing his dream to ride his bicycle through some of the most beautiful parts of the world,” said Mr. Tariq Azam, Director Marketing & Resource Development at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. “We are excited to have Luke in Pakistan and are waiting for him to visit Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and witness the amazing and inspiring work that we are doing here. We are pleased that Luke has chosen to partner with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre during the 5th leg of his journey and this means a lot for those fighting with cancer.”

One fifth of funds raised from today until Luke crosses the border into India will be dedicated to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, supporting their important work in eastern Pakistan and nationally.

Luke added, “It’s organisations like Shaukat Khanum that give me hope that people across the globe, especially those with limited means, can be treated and cared for if and when a cancer may arise. I am happy Bristol2Beijing can play a small part in supporting their incredibly important and ongoing work, and I look forward to learning from my visit to Lahore later this month.”

New Regional Partner Charity for Leg 5 -- India

After crossing the border into India near Amritsar in Punjab, Bristol2Beijing looks forward to partnering with CanKids KidsCan, the only National NGO dedicated to Change for Childhood Cancer in India across the continuum of care. In 17 years, over 56,000 families have registered with us. Today, they work in partnership with 121 Cancer centres in 53 cities and 22 States which treat over 12,000 new childhood cancer cases every year. They also have 15 Change for Childhood Cancer in State projects and have currently signed MOUs with 3 State Governments as knowledge and technical partners for childhood cancer. In addition, CanKids also runs ten Home away from Homes - a low-cost model where the children with cancer and their families can stay while they are undergoing treatment - one Paediatric Palliative Care Centre, and two Canshalas, or schools for children with cancer.

“While crossing the country from northwest to southeast, CanKids KidsCan looks forward to facilitating connections for Luke to share his story, his inspiring message, and his love for cycling and sport,” says Poonam Bagai, founder chairman, CanKids, herself a cancer survivor. “Notably, a recent month long cyclothon campaign #CycleForGold, organized by CanKids on the occasion of September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, resulted in participation across 96 cities, and 96,000 KMs. This has connected new audiences to support CanKids mission and cause. The organisation also looks forward to introducing Luke to its group of teenage and young adult cancer survivors (KidsCanKonnect) who share similar stories with cancer in their past and present.”

One fifth of funds raised once Luke crosses the border around the end of November and until he and Chris arrive in Kolkata will be dedicated to CanKids KidsCan, supporting their amazing work with children living with cancer in India. Funds raised will be allocated towards the CanKids survivorship program. It only takes INR 25,000 Rs (£250) to provide holistic care for one child with cancer and his/her family.

“My world broke into pieces when I first received my diagnosis and began treatment,” Luke said. “Organisations that support young people who face these new realities are a crucial pillar to help them negotiate a challenging, unfamiliar, and uncertain world. That’s why it’s so wonderful to be partnering with CanKids KidsCan in India, which supports children and teenagers with cancer across India. I really look forward to all the ways the Bristol2Beijing community can also learn from and generously support the compassionate and loving work they do for so many young people in India.”

The Road Ahead

Leg 5 of the expedition promises to present many new challenges, navigating one international border, 2,500 kilometres of frenetic roadways, flat tyres, and all kinds of weather -- though, thankfully, outside of the typical monsoon season.

“Obstacles be damned,” Luke said. “I am not throwing away my shot to fulfil my dream of getting myself and Chris to Beijing -- India, here we come!” As always, Luke will continue to share stories from his adventure with his growing community of Bristol2Beijing supporters. Luke’s Bristol2Beijing podcast is now into its fourth season with more than fifty episodes that invite listeners into the joys, struggles, and insights from his ride, including interviews with wonderful people along the way.

“I can’t say it often enough,” Luke added. “The ride and the truly inspiring trail of impact we continue to make really would not be possible without such a loving community of Bristol2Beijing supporters and my wonderful friends and family who comprise the amazing, all-volunteer, Bristol2Beijing team. Thank you so, so much.”