Children in Need Rickshaw Relay Challenge comes to Sunderland Special School
The BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Relay Challenge drove through the North East this week. Alexander from Barbara Priestman Academy, a Special School in Sunderland, took part in the relay.
The Rickshaw Relay Challenge saw five young people from across the nation join Matt Baker MBE to take part in a relay over five days.
An amazing journey
At 8:30am on Monday morning, Alexander set off on his rickshaw journey from Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light. Alexander is a big fan of the club and volunteers in his spare time through The Foundation of Light.
Sunderland AFC’s The Foundation of Light supports children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities through it’s Making Moves Project. In Making Moves, students can develop new skills and positive relationships through sport and recreational activities as well as learning to promote a healthy lifestyle. The project received £97,104 funding with the help of Children in Need.
Alexander’s next stop was at Grace House, where supporters were ready and waiting to cheer him on and encourage him to keep moving. Grace House is a project that runs a variety of youth group sessions aiming to enrich the lives of disabled children and young people in Sunderland. Grace House is also supported by Children in Need. Although they are based in Sunderland, Grace House works across the North East to reduce isolation by creating a positive culture to support families.
His journey also included a stop at his school, Barabara Preistman Academy. Alexander arrived with the BBC, Pudsey, Matt and the Rickshaw Challenge team, making the day special for all the students at the Academy.
The team then went on the cycle past other schools in the area before Alexander’s final stop at Palace Green in Durham at 3:00pm.
All about Alexander
As part of his involvement with the challenge, Alexander was profiled on the BBC Children in Need website. They stated Alexander hopes his involvement will help other children and young people, adding:
“Alexander lives with his Mum, Dad, 14 year old sister Henrietta, and 16 guinea pigs. He was diagnosed with autism aged 2, which meant he often struggled to connect with others and for a few years he didn’t talk at all. However life started to improve for Alexander and his family once he secured a place at an autism specific school. In time he also discovered two local charities, supported by Children in Need, which allowed him to make new friends, learn new skills, increase his independence, have fun and grow in confidence.”
Ascent Trust, which Barbara Priestman Academy is part of, commented:
“The whole Ascent family are incredibly proud to announce that our very own Alexander from Barbara Priestman Academy has taken part in this year’s Rickshaw Relay Challenge for Children In Need. We are so proud of Alexander raising money for BBC Children In Need and taking part in the Rickshaw Relay Challenge and honoured to have him as a student at Barbara Priestman Academy.”
Pauline Aitchison, Chair of NNoSS (National Network of Special Schools) and Deputy Director of Schools North East is on the board of Trustees at Ascent. She commented:
“It’s wonderful to see Alexander involved in the BBC Children in Need Rickshaw Relay. I’m delighted to see such an amazing opportunity for one of the North East’s many Special Schools to be highlighted on a national scale and for Alexander to inspire other students. We are incredibly proud of his achievement, a massive well done goes out to Alexander. I hope it inspires others to donate to Children in Need and support these essential charity groups in our region making a difference in the lives of children and young people with Special Education Needs.”
Tune into BBC One on Tuesday 15th November for a special one-off documentary about the Rickshaw Challenge. Look out for Alexander and the team on the main Children In Need Broadcast on the 18th November 2022.
Donate to Children in Need here: https://donate.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/rickshaw
View Alexander’s BBC Children in Need profile here: https://www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/shows/rickshaw-challenge/rickshaw-alexander/
Interested in finding out more about NNoSS? Read more here: bit.ly/3CLYFFn
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