Cycling team reach Manchester Airport on fundraising journey for conservation charity

Cyclists travelling from Land’s End to John O’Groats passed through Manchester Airport on their journey, organised by the UK Africa Travel Industry to raise funds for conservation charity, Tusk.

Over 50 cyclists from the African travel industry are making the journey in aid of conservation projects across the continent. Tourism is a key revenue source for conservation work in Africa, and the ‘Ride 4 Rangers’ campaign aims to make up the shortfall in income brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on international travel. Tusk aims to support 5,000 wildlife rangers across Africa, who have witnessed an increase in poaching during the coronavirus crisis.

At Manchester Airport, cyclists from the Ethiopian travel industry were welcomed by sponsors, Ethiopian Airlines. Michael Yohannes, Director UK & Ireland Ethiopian Airlines commented:

We are delighted to be supporting this amazing charity and welcome the cyclists to Manchester Airport where we operate from to Addis Ababa and connecting across Africa. During these difficult times it is a pleasure to support and work with the African Travel Industry on this incredible project and we wish all the cyclists the best of luck in the UK and across the African Continent.”

Julian Carr, Airline Development Director at Manchester Airport, said:

We were thrilled to welcome [African travel professionals] Ben, Jean and Joel to Manchester Airport as they approached the halfway mark on their lengthy journey, raising money and awareness for a very important cause.

“In these unprecedented times, its important we do whatever we can to continue building on the crucial links between the North and the rest of the world. We’re delighted that Ethiopian is maintaining its thrice-weekly service to Addis Ababa, linking Manchester directly with the sub-Saharan Africa, and to that end, it’s also fantastic to see three British cyclists helping to make a huge difference to wildlife conservation across the continent.”

Ride 4 Rangers is now encouraging supporters to take part from home by cycling 10km at home or in your local area, donating £10 to support wildlife conservation, and nominating three others to do the same as part of a cumulative 30,000 km journey (equivalent to circumnavigating the African continent).