Femi is cycling to fundraise for the homeless

NHS staff will be cycling 136-miles to raise funds for the homeless in the West Midlands and are appealing for people to  donate to the cause.

Project Support Officer Femi Kuforiji and his colleagues, from Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust, announced they will be taking on a static bike ride from West Bromwich to London on 28 October to raise money for the organisation’s Your Trust Charity and the national charity St Basils.

The challenge will take place in Sandwell Hospital’s main reception area and the exercise bikes have been supplied by the Sandwell Gym, owned by Jagdish Lal, in West Bromwich. Personal trainers from the facility will also be there on the day.

Femi works within the Widening Participation team, which aims to provide work experience and enrichment opportunities for young people who aren’t in employment or education. They are behind the Live & Work Apprenticeship scheme which tackles youth homelessness by providing work opportunities within the Trust and accommodation in the nurses’ quarters close to Sandwell Hospital.

Femi explained why he is fundraising: “Throughout the world, vulnerable young people live in constant fear due to troubled family dynamics, health-related issues, being victims of circumstances, and living a life on the run due to threats to their lives.

“As temperatures plummet across the country, cold weather can prove disastrous for young people sleeping on the streets and bad weather conditions can increase the risk of developing hypothermia and frostbite. Furthermore, homeless people have been reported to have died sleeping rough in cold weather.

“Statistics from the Youth Homelessness Databank show that 103,000 young people presented to their council as homeless or at risk of homelessness in 2017/18. This is very shocking and our Trust in collaboration with St Basils are passionate about alleviating homelessness in our society. This collaboration has led to the Live & Work NHS Apprenticeship programme, which provides apprenticeship opportunities and living accommodation within the hospital to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

“There is so much to do for vulnerable young people and we can help by donating to this fundraising event which will go towards our Live & Work project.”

To donate go to: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/liveandworkprogramme