Pedal to Portugal: Gary “Flash” Blesson’s Race to End Child Poverty

This August, Gary “Flash” Blesson will embark on an extraordinary journey from Westminster, London, to Miranda do Corvo, Portugal. Covering a distance equivalent to cycling from West to East London over 40 times, Gary will navigate through France, Spain, and the challenging Pyrenees mountains to raise funds to help end child poverty in London. 

Gary was inspired to support our mission due to his own childhood experiences: “I was born in West London into a very desperate situation, my birth mother was a prostitute, and I was found abandoned by the police. After spending some time in hospital, I bounced between foster homes until I was adopted by a family in Putney. While I have had a wonderful life and have always had a positive outlook, I am aware of the situations that too many children of London are born into, having had that experience myself.”

Gary has been a keen cyclist since the age of 22, having found it was a huge help to his mental health as well as his physical health. Gary said: “Cycling is so important for my mind, it puts me into a much better place in my head. I was late to finding the sport – I bet if any of my friends from school saw me doing this they wouldn’t believe me! It really is amazing what you can do once you click into something, you can start from nothing like me.”

Gary’s love of cycling has led to his career, in which he now runs the cycling camp Delucci Retreat in Miranda Do Corvo, Portugal, where he has lived for the past 14 years. Gary has used his early life and passion for cycling to take on a number of challenges for charities previously, including creating the Velodrome Challenge for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Gary commented: “Having grown up in London, it is really important to give something back to the children that need it. I feel very lucky to have been given the opportunity that I was after my adoption, and want to use this to do good and help others. Over the years I have taken part in a number of fundraising events such as the London Marathon and several triathlon’s, but this is the biggest and hardest challenge I have ever done.”

Neha Mehendru, our Interim CEO at The Childhood Trust, commented: “We are incredibly grateful to Gary for taking on this incredible challenge for The Childhood Trust this summer. His story is truly inspirational, and we hope it encourages others to get out and improve their fitness, and see where it can take them, both mentally and physically. Best of luck to Gary and we will be supporting you every step of the way!”

Gary’s journey symbolizes resilience and the power of giving back. Support Gary in his mission to make a difference for the 700,000 children living in poverty in London. 

Help Gary reach his goal and bring hope to children in need. Donate today and be a part of this incredible journey to transform lives. Every donation not only impacts a child’s future but also fuels Gary’s determination to reach Portugal for London’s children living in poverty. 

Support Gary today! https://childhoodtrust.enthuse.com/…/gary-flash…