Boy pedals from London to the Mumbles for oppressed Christians

AN A-LEVEL STUDENT has cycled more than 200 miles from London to Swansea to raise money for a leading Catholic charity, writes John Newton.
Conor Murphy, 17, and his father, Roger, travelled the 230 miles from London to the Mumbles, a seaside village west of Swansea, to raise money for Aid to the Church in Need’s work with persecuted and other suffering Christians.
They set out from London on Tuesday, August 11, arriving safely in Wales four days later.
The father and son team left from Heathrow Airport shortly after 7am on the first day.
Mr Murphy senior had just flown back from America and changed into his cycling gear at the airport.
Conor described cycling with his father as “great fun and a good experience”.
The hardest part came on the final day when they faced two hills, the second one a steep slope taking them to their final destina tion, the home of Conor’s grandfather, Dr Seamus O’Brien.
Dr O’Brien, who lives on top of Newton Hill in the Mumbles, is an area secretary for Aid to the Church in Need, helping to raise awareness and funds for the charity.
Conor said: “I didn’t get off the bike once on Newton Hill, which I consider a point of pride.” At the end of his epic journey Conor admits that he couldn’t sleep on his back for three days because of saddle soreness. Conor attends Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Kensington, London, where he is studying for his A-levels.
His 75 sponsors have promised him £550, most of which he hopes to collect when the school term starts in September.
Conor said he chose to support ACN partly because of his grandfather’s involvement with it and because of his admiration for the organisation’s work. “I don’t think you’d hear much about oppression of Christians if wasn’t for Aid to the Church in Need,” he said.
Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. It is a Catholic charity whose aim is “helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action”. Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “an outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 130 countries.
ACN undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979 46.5 million Aid to the Church in Need children’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide. To donate, contact ACN at 12-14 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4DA or telephone 020 8642 8668.