A TEN-year-old boy from Tavistock has started his long virtual cycle to Parliament for global coronavirus response.

Over the next month, Ewan Mill will cycle 320km — this is around the same distance from his front door to the Houses of Parliament.

Ewan was inspired to take on the mammoth cycling challenge after hearing about the difficulties faced by people tackling coronavirus around the world.

Ewan, who has previously run a half marathon for charity, wants to raise awareness of the difficulties developing countries are facing in the midst of this coronavirus pandemic. That is why he has chosen to fundraise for the international development charity, CAFOD.

CAFOD is working alongside vulnerable communities around the world and preparing them to deal with Covid-19.

Ewan said: ‘Everyone has been affected by the coronavirus, all over the world. Despite our fantastic NHS, people have faced shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitiser and PPE. Some of us have had to stay indoors and rely on others to shop for us and deliver medication.

‘Now imagine you live in an overcrowded refugee camp, a shanty town in South America or a remote village in Africa.

‘There may be one tap for a thousand people. Getting water would involve an hour’s walk. We have seen how our hospitals have been stretched but what if there are no medical facilities at all?

‘Everyone, let’s count our blessings and remember those in our world who really do need our help.’

Ewan’s challenge, which began on May 19, will continue for one month. He will track his progress on his JustGiving page.

Ewan continued: ‘CAFOD has a slogan which says that there should be “no one beyond reach”, so CAFOD has launched an appeal to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in the Global South.

‘Donations will be used for projects such as installing handwashing facilities in villages, training locals to share prevention methods in their communities, providing farmers with tools and seeds in areas with limited food supplies and providing emergency food aid.’

CAFOD is currently working to scale up its support to local aid experts, providing food to vulnerable families and improving handwashing and sanitation facilities across communities.

The charity is also helping churches in developing countries use their networks to share hygiene messages through Catholic radio stations and to produce posters in local dialects on infection prevention.

Ewan’s mother, Francesca Mill, added: ‘Ewan believes in all the work CAFOD does and he is proud to do something to help spread the word.’

Last week Ewan tackled many different routes around the area, including Princetown to Tavistock. His total kilometres last week was 85.84km, bringing his total to 201.80km so far. That leaves only 118.20km left for Ewan to complete in two weeks. Ewan said: ‘Who knows I might go over my 320km target in one month.’

CAFOD is the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales and part of Caritas International. To find out more about CAFOD’s work visit cafod.org.uk/coronavirus