Ishtiaq Hussain and Daniel Jay-Cropp will be setting off from Stourbridge for a month-long tandem ride which will take them from the heart of the Black Country to Wales and back again.

They aim to promote issues about social isolation and to raise £100,000 to support projects and activities for the Deaf and Deaf Usher communities in Dudley, the West Midlands and beyond. Ishtiaq said:

“This is not only a first for us as individuals but it is the first time that any one has fund raised on a tandem by riding through the Black Country, round the coast line of Wales and back again.  

"Whilst we are very much looking forward to what the next month will hold it is fair to say we are not under estimating how difficult it could be”. 

Ishtiaq and Daniel, both novices when it comes to bike riding, know a thing or two about pushing back the boundaries when it comes to a challenge. Both riders are campaigning members of the Deaf and the Deaf Usher Community. Daniel who is partially sighted, added:

“The Covid 19 lock down has affected the most vulnerable, especially Deaf and Deaf Usher people, more so than others and we needed to act fast to show not only what should be done but what can be done when we face difficult situations”.  

This campaigning duo are committed to making real difference and are looking to raise funds for Deafscope, a Dudley based Community Interest Company, created at end of 2019 by Ishtiaq, alongside fellow directors Kerry Ward-Hussain, Omar Haq and Martin Berridge. Deafscope aims to promote independent, sustainable and healthy lifestyles in the wider community for Deaf and Deaf Usher people.

Ishtiaq who is 46 and Daniel, 38, will be setting up live streams showing their travels, vlogging their progress and using social media to share their adventures. Their blogs will feature healthy eating and nutrition information as well as sharing the fun and the thrill of the ride. 

Anyone interested in donating towards the Active Life healthy Minds Fund Raising Bike Ride can visit their JustGiving page. For more information on Deafscope, you can visit deafsope.co.uk.