On Saturday 16th June 2012, in celebration of the International Day of the African Child, we launched our annual flagship event on Clapham Common: The Extraordinary Mile.

There was a lot to do inside the Sensory Yurt!

The Extraordinary Mile was attended by children and families from the local community who came out to support raising awareness of the needs of children with disabilities in Africa and their right to education, healthcare and inclusion within their communities. Children and their family and friends from the local community journeyed The Extraordinary Mile route, along which were games and activities, entertainment, a sensory yurt (provided by our friends at Access Events) and a chance to learn about Africa and the work that AbleChildAfrica does there.  

As there are very few public and free events in the UK that are truly inclusive and accessible for all children and families, The Extraordinary Mile was an opportunity for all children and their families to come together, and from the response of those that attended, it was greatly appreciated.

As the first of many Extraordinary Miles to come, the day was a huge success, and if you would like to read more or find out about how you can be involved in the future, click here. 

A huge thank you also goes out to all of our volunteers and team who made the day such a success, we'll see you all next year!

Andy and Lynn Skelton from Yorkshire were delighted to support AbleChildAfrica by taking 2 of their spaces on the London Nightrider. 

The next question was "How do we get the tandem to London?"

The obvious answer (at least to them!) was to ride it there but since their usual routes to the capital (the M1 or A1) were out of the question an alternative had to be found. Following canal towpaths seemed an obvious choice (tandems don't like hills) and so a route was plotted all the way from Huddersfield to Camden Locks. 

On the positive side canal towpaths are level. On the negative side, they added another 450 kms to the 100 km to the Nightrider route, not to mention crossing the Pennines and negotiating more than 200 locks and at least 12 tunnels. 

On their bright yellow tandem and wearing their bright orange AbleChildAfrica tee shirts, they attracted attention and sponsorship along the way.

The London Triathlon

Not forgetting any budding athletes out there, we also have places for the 2012 London Triathlon. 

This year It's being held on the 22nd and 23rd of September and if you would like to sign up or get some more information please email us at katy@ablechildafrica.org.uk.

Teams of 3, with each member doing one of the Triathlon legs and sharing the fundraising target, are very welcome! Please be in touch if you are interested in getting a team of your friends, family or work colleagues together.