An international cycle tour will set off from Manchester Town Hall on Saturday 15 March in a bid to raise awareness of the need to create a nuclear free world.
Dignitaries, including the former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell-Masgne Bondevik and the Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Naeem ul Hassan, will join local cycle groups and CND members to launch the 2014 Bike for Peace ‘Around the World in 90 Days’ tour
The tour will begin from Manchester Town Hall and proceed along Oxford Road to Edinburgh Cycles, who have donated bikes for the ride. The route will then take the group to Platt Fields Park to ride the ‘Peace Mile’ after which they will continue onto Coventry, London and Dover before crossing the channel to France.
The 90 day tour will see Bike For Peace take their message across the globe visiting Italy, Pakistan, India, China, Japan and The USA before finishing in Norway.
Bike for Peace is a Norwegian non-governmental organisation who have been criss-crossing the globe since 1978, promoting both environmental issues and the need for a nuclear free world. Since its inception Bike for Peace has organised peace and friendship cycling tours in more than 104 countries.
The UK leg of the 90 day tour will see the cyclists joined by Bike for Peace founder Tore Naerland, who is almost blind but continues to campaign for peace by riding with the aid of Norwegian Olympic cyclist Anita Valen de Vries and cycling adventurer Frank Tomlinson.
Established in 1982 by Mayor Araki in Hiroshima, Mayors for Peace has close to 6,000 member cities form 157 countries. Manchester is a Mayors for Peace Vice President City and the Lord Mayor of Manchester is a member of the executive board.
Mayor of Frogn, Norway and a Vice President of Mayors for Peace Thore Vestby said: “Mayors for Peace is very happy to be a part of the peace project and to co-operate with the legendary peace biker Tore Naerland.
“To provide safe and secure local communities is a number one priority for a mayor. Nuclear weapons represent a huge threat to all of our communities due to the indiscriminate damage they would create.
“Mayors for Peace are impressed by the work and the position the City of Manchester is taking on this issue and we are very happy to start this world tour in Manchester. We are also delighted the tour will visit Coventry and London.
For more information please visit:
www.bikeforpeace.info/2014/BikeForPeaceAroundTheWorld.pdf
Our Social Media – Follow Us!