This Manchester cyclist is attempting to set a new world record and help ‘end modern slavery’
A Manchester cyclist has embarked on a near-1,000-mile ride around England to raise awareness of modern day slavery.
Gordon Miller set off from St Ann’s Square in the city centre on his #RideForFreedom2020 this morning.
The ride – which is a verified Guinness World Records attempt to set the record for “the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (individual)” – will follow a pre-planned GPS mapped route with each stage spelling “end modern slavery”.
- The word ‘End’ spans Manchester, Sheffield and Rotherham.
- ‘Modern’ takes him from Ludlow to Peterborough via Birmingham.
- ‘Slavery’ starts in Bristol and ends on 2nd October in central London.
The aim is for the formal Guinness World Records certificate presentation to take place on 18th October on International Anti-Slavery Day in Westminster, SW1P.
#RideForFreedom2020 builds on the success of Gordon’s 2019 efforts in which he organised, rode and visited 10 UK cities in 10 days from 7th-18th October 2019 to support the survivors of modern slavery via the work of charities Unseen and Hope for Justice.
There are thought to be more than 40 million people worldwide enslaved and tens of thousands exploited in the UK.
Gordon has been joined on the first of his 13 daily rides by employees from the Manchester-based anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice.
#RideForFreedom2020 will feature on Guinness World Records’ social media channels – that have a global reach of around 30 million people – and will also be the focus of an accompanying video that will draw attention to modern slavery in the UK by highlighting the record-breaking ride around England.
Speaking ahead of the route, Gordon Miller said: “I’m free to cycle but millions of people aren’t. They’re trapped in modern day slavery. It’s an under-reported crime that affects thousands in the UK and millions worldwide that needs a light shining on it.”
“The idea both to spell and cycle the words ‘end modern slavery’ came to me on one of my many training bike rides,” he added.
“That was the easy part [but] actually mapping them took quite a few hours.”
You can follow along and keep up to date with Gordon Miller’s #RideForFreedom2020 here.