MP for Leamington and Warwick, Chris White, is lending his support to Pedal for Peace

Brian Wakley, Chief Executive of Leamington based international peacebuilding charity Cord, will be cycling over 800 miles from 23 – 30 June to each capital city in Great Britain & Ireland to raise funds for the organisation’s work.  The week long ride falls inside Bike Week which runs until 24 June.

Cord, whose head offices are in Leamington Spa, work with communities across Africa and South East Asia tackling the root causes of conflict.   The message from Cord is “It’s time for peace!”

Member of the International Development Select Committee Mr White said: “I’ve been a supporter of Cord for some time now.  Having witnessed first-hand their peace-building work in parts of the world that have been affected by conflict, I know that the organisation is making a real difference to people's lives.  It’s great to see Brian taking on a personal challenge and I wish him all the best.”

1.5 billion people in the world live in countries affected  by conflict.  The charity’s message comes just weeks after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres warned that displacement from conflict is being compounded by a combination of causes including climate change, urbanization, food insecurity, water scarcity and resource competition.  In other words – things just keep getting get worse for people affected by conflict.

Mr Wakley said:  “It’s great having Chris’ support. As well as sponsoring the ride he also very kindly helped us take our message of peace to Westminster in March this year by hosting a Parliamentary Reception for Cord.”  

Mr Wakley will even be wearing a tiara to draw attention to his message that peace isn’t just the dream of beauty queens – it’s the right of every man woman and child.

To sponsor Pedal for Peace by visiting www.justgiving.com/brian-wakley

You can stay up to date with the challenge on twitter #pedal4peace.