30-year-old Andrew Rogerson, who is becoming more popularly know as the fundraising and adventure seeking Cycling Scouser, is halfway through his epic 10,000-mile bike ride from Shanghai to Liverpool. He has now covered a mammoth 5,000 miles along the Great Wall of China and across the Gobi desert, crossing Kazhakstan, Kyrgzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in Central Asia in aid of blood cancer charity, The Anthony Nolan Trust. As Andrew passes the halfway point in his trip, Iran is the next major milestone in the journey, one he is most apprehensive about.
Novice cyclist, Andrew “Rogo” Rogerson was granted five months’ leave from his job as an auto electrician for Jaguar Land Rover, in order to take on an immense cycling expedition for a charity close to his heart. Already part of another Liverpool-based fundraising group for blood charities, Barrow for Marrow, Andrew was inspired to take on an even bigger challenge when his close friend’s four-year-old son was diagnosed with Leukaemia and in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.
Without any extensive training beforehand, Andrew set off from Chery, near Shanghai on 5th May, with the aim of finishing at Jaguar Land Rover in Halewood, near Liverpool, five months later.
Andrew has been nominated by colleagues for the Liverpool Echo’s Pride of Merseyside Awards, with which if he is successful, people can vote for him to receive the prestigious Fundraiser of the Year Award in November 2015.
The Cycling Scouser social media campaign is attracting a high level of attention, with almost 2000 followers. Andrew has received support from famous names including professional footballer, Robbie Fowler, Paralympic champion, Mark Colbourne and The Zutons, to name but a few.
Andrew is currently travelling across Uzbekistan, a dry, mountainous country with vast deserts in Central Asia. He has so far been met with bemusement by locals, as they want to take photos with him and talk to him about his unusual task. He has even met a group of local teachers-in-training who wanted to practice their English with him.
Andrew comments: “Everyone is so supportive and interested in what I’m doing. In Kyrgzstan, I nipped in to a shop for a Cornetto, and ended up doing shots of vodka with the locals.
“Thanks to the overwhelming support from everyone, I have been able to boost my fundraising target from £5,000 to £7,000. The encouragement I’ve received is phenomenal.”
The first few months were grueling for Andrew as he experienced difficult weather conditions, camping alone in the wilderness for some nights and even being chased by wild dogs across the Chinese landscape. In month two, Andrew was almost refused entry into Kazakhstan because of his dramatic weight loss during the intense journey, causing authorities to question his passport photo at the border.
Andrew has already raised over £6,000 for The Anthony Nolan Trust, far exceeding his own expectations for the trek, and is now increasing his target to £7,000 due to the growing support of his adventure.
Meanwhile in the UK, the Barrow for Marrow fundraising group have been to Westminster to support the Anthony Nolan Trusts’ new campaign, “Destination cure”. The campaign is calling on the NHS and Department of Health to give patients, and their families, the treatment and support they need and deserve.
During the event, Anthony Nolan Chief Executive, Henny Braund, expressed how grateful he was for the support of Barrow for Marrow and the Cycling Scouser, and for everything they have done to raise both awareness and funds.
Supporters are keeping tabs on Andrew’s progress via a blog he has created to document his entire journey. A number of North West digital agencies including JAMCreative and Highly Developed, based in Manchester, have sponsored Andrew’s efforts by designing and building a bespoke website, complete with a map of his journey, video diary entries and photos so donators can have full access to every part of the adventure.
Follow Andrew’s journey by heading to cyclingscouser.com, and find out how to pledge your support to The Anthony Nolan Trust.
