“On your bike, Spicy!”
Spicy Fingers sponsored bike ride
from Lands End to the Shetland Islands - June – July 2013
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Spicy Fingers, the well known Jamaican chef and poet based in Birmingham UK, has set himself a challenge to ride his bicycle and visit schools in Scotland, England and Wales, starting from Land’s End cycling over 1,000miles up to John O’Groats, then on to finishin the Shetland Islands. This epic journey will be completed between June 2013 and July 2013.
The aims of the challenge are to raise funds to provide copies of his specially written poetry book “Reflecting Black” to schools across his home country of Jamaica, as well as to launch the “Books for Jamaican Schools” project and also take the opportunity to encourage more schools across the UK to get involved in the “Widening Horizons” project to link with schools in Jamaica, and also in West Africa. Links between libraries are also developing and Spicy hopes to link with libraries during his trip.
One of the themes of the project is to explore the shared histories and the heritage of riches brought to communities in Scotland, Wales and England from the proceeds of the trade in Africans which took place over a 400 year period. During the ride Spicy Fingers will visit the some of the key ports engaged in the triangular trade: Glasgow, Liverpool, Cardiff, and Bristol to explore and share the role of these communities, business and ports; as well as visiting some of the great Estates that were built from the proceeds of the sugar trade and Jamaican communities en-route.
Another theme is to explore what Scotland, England and Wales is like today: covering geography, local customs and people, to help children and young people in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean, West Africa and around the UK understand the rich diversity of British communities today and our dynamic shared heritage.
Spicy Fingers is seeking sponsorship and support for this project and is working with “Jamaica 2000” the established UK educational charity.
The Sponsors and those fundraising will be fully recognised.
There will be a main website to record the progress about the journey and, website links to enable the schools that Spicy visits to share poems, cookery demonstrations and stories with children in other countries.
Liz Millman from “Learning Links International”will be the support driver, managing the logistics of the venture as part of the support thatLearning Links International provides for the “Widening Horizons” project.
Garfield Robinson, from “Promoting our Heritage”, will be supporting the challenge by helping with research guidance and providing context related books, as well as other sponsors and organisations.
For more information contact: Liz Millman: