16 June 2017
Fasting Muslim DJ cycles 1500km for Jewish, Christian and Islamic charities
- DJ Imy Shah will bike length of the UK (874 miles) while fasting, to promote religious unity
- Imy Shah wants to tackle division in the UK by raising money for good causes
- Father of two will raise money for Jewish Care, Islamic charity Penny Appeal and Christian aid agency Tearfund
A MUSLIM DJ is cycling the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats to fundraise for Jewish, Christian and Muslim charities, while going without food and water as he marks the holy month of Ramadan.
Imy Shah, 44, is cycling 874 miles at his local gym in Luton to raise money for three different faith charities, Jewish Care, Penny Appeal and Tearfund, as well as local charity Keech Hospice Care.
Imy, who works for Monarch Airlines and DJs part-time, said he believed it was crucial to tackle division between faiths. The father of two will undertake the gruelling challenge at his local gym, Bannatyne Health Club. The cycle ride comes in the wake of recent terrorist attacks on London Bridge and Manchester Arena.
He said: “There’s some division between groups at the moment so I decided to choose three faith charities to support. In my view, what matters is that we are good to each other.
He added: “I am a regular at the gym but I don’t usually do cardio, so cycling is a real challenge for me and the saddles on the bikes in the gym are definitely not made for long distances! Doing this challenge during the 30 days of Ramadan is even more of a test as I won’t be eating or drinking during the day. ”
Jane Pleace, Global Fundraising Director at Tearfund, said: “We are thrilled and honoured that Imy is taking on this immense physical challenge to raise money for Tearfund as well as other faith organisations. At Tearfund we work in more than 50 countries, serving people of all faiths, who are in desperate need. Inspiring fundraisers like Imy make it possible for us to bring life-saving training and assistance to people all over the world.”
Director of Fundraising and Marketing at Jewish Care, Daniel Carmel-Brown, said: “We want to thank Imy and wish him the best of luck with this fantastic challenge. As well as taking on a tough challenge by cycling hundreds of miles on top of working everyday whilst fasting for Ramadan his interfaith fundraising is truly inspiring and sends a very positive message of unity to people across all communities.”
Penny Appeal’s Fundraising and Events Manager, Haroon Mota said: “We are amazed by Imy’s efforts and his desire to support great causes. Going 30 days without food and drink for 19 hours of each day is quite exhausting alone. As if the lack of food and sleep wasn’t challenging enough, he’s cycling 50km on average for 30 consecutive days. “At Penny Appeal, we are providing poverty and emergency relief in 30 crisis hit countries worldwide, and it’s incredible to see what Imy is prepared to endure to help transform thousands of lives. We would like to thank Imy for choosing to support Penny Appeal, and wish him the best of luck until he reaches John O’Groats.”
Imy is also raising money for Keech Hospice Care in Luton, which has supported several of his friends in recent years.
Banita Mistry, Regional Fundraiser at Keech Hospice Care, said: “We think it is amazing that Imy has taken on such an enormous challenge during Ramadan and wish him the best of luck. We can’t thank him enough for his support as we rely on people like Imy to raise 70 per cent of the £5.6million funding we need each year as a charity to continue to make sure no adult or child with a life-limiting or terminal illness has to face it alone.”
You can sponsor Imy at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Dexxmaster
ends
Notes for Editors
- For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Rehema Figueiredo, Tearfund Media Officer, [email protected], 0796 224 2421, out of hours, please contact: 0771 057 3749 Naomi Creeger, Jewish Care Press & PR Executive, [email protected], 0208 922 2812 Kathryn Cain, Senior PR Officer, Keech Hospice Care, [email protected], 01582 497 665 Gill Laidler, Penny Appeal, [email protected], 0771 153 9047 •
- Tearfund is a Christian relief and development agency and a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee www.tearfund.org. Tearfund works in more than 50 countries following Jesus where the need is greatest, working through local churches to unlock people's potential and helping them to discover that the answer to poverty is within themselves.
- Jewish Care is the largest health and social care charity for the UK’s Jewish community, touching the lives of 10,000 people every week. The organisation provides a wide range of services for older people, people with disabilities, mental health needs, visual impairment, as well as Holocaust survivors and refugees. Jewish Care also offers support and guidance to families, carers and the bereaved, as well as programmes for children and young people.
- Keech Hospice Care is a charity which supports adults from Luton and South Bedfordshire, and children from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes, who have life-limiting and terminal illnesses. We are unique as we are one of the few hospices in the UK which provides care for both adults and children. Keech Hospice Care is based in a purpose-built facility in Luton, however, our hospice care is delivered to patients, children and their families in a variety of settings including the family home, school or in hospital. We are there for our patients and their family and friends at a time in their lives they need us most.
- Penny Appeal is an award winning international humanitarian charity, was set up in 2009 by Wakefield entrepreneur Adeem Younis, to provide a range of life-saving solutions in over 30-crisis hit countries. As one of the fastest growing charities in the sector, Penny Appeal has transformed a countless number of lives and empowered communities around the globe, helping to break the poverty cycle through their simple vision; taking your small change and making a big difference. Penny Appeal is a twice Guinness-World-Record holder and works closely with leading celebrities and globally renowned institutions in the UK and beyond in the fight against poverty.
