When our trustee Nick O’Sullivan rolled into Cambridge at the end of our first London to Cambridge bike ride, he was expecting a hot meal and a rest. He was not expecting to meet one of his old pupils.
53 miles, then a familiar face
On 29 May 2022 Nick, his daughter Rebecca and their friend Duncan Corp cycled about 53 miles from Stratford in east London to Cambridge Central Mosque, raising money for the schools we support. The ride took around six hours.
At the finish, Nick met Aravindhan Moasikeeran, known as Vin, whom he had taught geography at Valentines High School in Ilford about eight years earlier. Vin was by then studying at Birkbeck, University of London, and working in IT. Teacher and former pupil shared a pizza and caught up on the years in between.
The Ilford Recorder reported the reunion, and our Chair, Mobeen Anwar, has since been in touch with Vin so that the two can stay in contact.
Why it matters to us
A good teacher stays with you. Nick spent his career teaching in Barking and Ilford, and a chance meeting at the end of a long ride showed how much those years can mean to a pupil.
That is exactly what our work is about. With our partner, the Kashmir Education Foundation (KEF), we support schools in rural Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir where girls and boys learn side by side, and the Joan Atkinson College of Teacher Education, which trains young women as primary teachers. Every teacher trained there will, one day, be someone’s Mr O’Sullivan. Read why teacher training is the multiplier.
Ride, walk or run for education
Thank you to Nick, Rebecca and Duncan, and to everyone who sponsored them. If a challenge of your own appeals, find out how to fundraise for us, or support the schools directly.