Rose Cecil, 61, from Mousehole, Cornwall, will be travelling 12,000 kms on a motorcycle across Asia in aid of ActionAid.

Rose Cecil and her motorcycle

 

Joined by four men, the team, who refer to themselves as the Band of Bikers, will depart from Bangkok, Thailand on May 1stand travel to Tbilisi, Georgia in just eight weeks.

Mrs Cecil said: “I’ve always loved travelling; my past job was as a travelling artist. In this case rather than travelling and painting it’s travelling and raising consciousness for the charity, so it has a double aim and that feels like a really worthwhile objective.”

Initial planning for the trip began last year and was led by long-time motorcyclist and team member, Paddy Clanwilliam, a resident of Polzeath.

The philanthropic journey will begin in Bangkok heading up towards India through Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal. From India they will travel through Pakistan and into Kyrgyzstan heading West towards Georgia.

Map of the route the team will travel

 

The team will cross terrain as versatile as jungle, forest, desert and urban whilst travelling through 14 different countries.

According to Rose, it is expected that travelling time per day could range from four to nine hours.

Mrs Cecil stated: “It’s more about hours as opposed to miles. We’re not going to be riding at night for obvious reasons and it depends on terrain; if the roads are really bad we’ll probably ride a long time but not go very far.”

All members of the team are currently undergoing rigorous physical training to prepare for the eight-week long expedition. They are also undergoing first-aid training and have just completed a trauma course in dealing with IED [Improvised Explosive Device] injuries.

The team are aiming to raise £5,000 for ActionAid, an international charity working with the poorest women and girls in 47 different countries, some of which the team will be travelling through.

Nancy Gray, the team’s liaison and coordinator with ActionAid, said: “We are delighted that Rose and the Band of Bikers are raising funds for ActionAid through their incredible motorcyle rally. With their amazing support we are able to support some of the most vulnerable women and girls across the world and help change their lives, for good.”

Rose stated: “We want to raise funds but that’s not the only thing – we want to raise consciousness. Being able to share pictures of us in ActionAid t-shirts and demonstrating solidarity with the charity and the communities that we’re travelling through is just as important as the money side.”

She added: “I’m a mixture of really excited and very nervous. I’m not as young as some people you see going off on adventures, but to me it’s important that you celebrate the fact that life is not over, and that age is not really that relevant.”

Rose has made a JustGiving page for people to donate towards this charitable cause.