After weeks of training — at the end — there was sheer relief on the face of Shakeel Choudhry when he completed his Manchester to Blackburn charity cycle ride.
Shakeel, 45, set off from Deansgate in Manchester on November 12 aiming to raise as much money as possible in aid of the Rohingya Muslims.
It took Shak four and a half hours to complete the challenge and he raised over £16,000 in the process.
On completing his challenge he said, “By the grace of Allah mission accomplished. I was cycling from Manchester to Blackburn fundraising for the Myanmar refugees who have fled to Bangladesh.
“Thank you to all of you who contributed, and who turned up. I love you all.
“My day was to please Allah and then to see an amazing scene of pride and joy amongst my bezzie, beautiful friends, great team and my emotional parents was for me a day of huge accomplishment.”
He added, “Huge thank you to Abu Faisal Trust and Nadia Mohammed for having the belief in me, allowing us to raise money for supporting the cause.”
More than 800,000 Rohingya refugees are surviving living in Bangladesh.
About 480,000 have fled Rakhine since August 25, when Myanmar’s army began an operation against minority groups.
The operation has emptied dozens of villages and forced people to flee the violence across Myanmar’s borders.
Shak would like to thank his business sponsors: DVR Car Wash based on Newton Street, AMT Lawyers, Blackburn Practical Car and Van Rental, H & S Living, Boost brand, Haji’s Takeaway, Whalley Range, Waheeds Buffet and Banqueting, Harry’s Takeaway, Temple Drive Indoor Tyres, NC Gas and Plumbing Services and Snug City Bath and Home.
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