By Sally Hobbs

I have been involved in The Big Ride for Palestine since it was initiated in 2015 by activists in Britain, Ireland and beyond. We knew that the systematic erasure of Palestinian rights, land and people was increasing and the warmongers now dominating Israeli politics wanted to (as one minister famously said) “mow the grass” – that is, kill the future youth of Palestine to prevent them growing in strength and numbers.

The bombing of Gaza in 2014 killed over 2,000 people: 80% civilians, a quarter children.  People in Gaza were living under siege. We wanted to raise awareness, money and support for Palestinian people and to protest against this appalling act. This of course, was not the first appalling act of Israel against innocent and unarmed Palestinians, and we all knew it would only get  worse if it was possible for Israel to continue to hide the facts.

We staged a marathon ride from Edinburgh to London over nine days on the first anniversary of the bombardment of Gaza, raising over £65,000 for projects helping children recover from the loss and trauma they suffered. Since then, every year The Big Ride has grown in support and scale, with overwhelming support across the country as the ride has passed through. Over the years, we have engaged in three and four day rides across the country, ending in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Westminster in successive years, with MPs and prominent speakers at rallies, community festivals, and an effective blockade of Shenstone UAV factory where drones were being made for Israel.

The Big Ride has grown massively. Three-day rides with 250 people, sleeping in hostels and community venues, fed by locals, are complex to arrange but now we have groups across nearly every main city, with over 200 cyclists in every location signing up to raise money, to ride in solidarity with and protest against the dire situation for Palestinians and our own government’s continued complicity in war crimes.

This year yet again we ride. If you’d like to join a ride, hurry! The Big Ride is happening in nine cities over three weeks. Closing dates for several cities are this week (Manchester, Cardiff). Others including London are a week later. Book here.

If you aren’t riding, please support the Big Ride 2026, along the routes and by donating to the charities we fundraise for, both still actively working on the ground in Gaza and with all Palestinians.

These include the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), which  has been working in Gaza for 38 years supporting children and their families; increasingly providing trauma-related therapy for children who have been traumatised by living under a vicious military occupation.

Ongoing Israeli attacks from air, land and sea are killing, injuring and displacing children, journalists, and medical workers across Palestine. Through our partnership over the decade, we have raised money for health care, play and emotional therapy, practical projects and aid through MECA. The Big Ride for Palestine is partnering with the Middle East Children’s Alliance again, to provide emergency aid to children and families and support community projects for children in Palestine right now. 

Half the Palestinian population are children. Hundreds of thousands of children have been displaced and don’t have access to adequate food, water, or shelter. They have been traumatized by ongoing Israeli bombings, raids, and violence against their communities. MECA works for the rights and well-being of children. With local partners they provide food parcels, hot meals, clean drinking water, psychological support and other essential aid to families impacted by Israel’s attacks across Palestine.

We are also riding to raise funds for the Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team based in Gaza. The team was formed in 2020 by Alaa al-Dali and Karim Ali. Alaa al-Dali became a cyclist at a young age and in early 2018 qualified to compete at that year’s Asian Games, but struggled to obtain a permit from the Israeli government to leave Gaza. In March 2018, he attended the Great March of Return in his cycling gear. While at the protest, he was shot in the leg by an Israeli sniper, shattering his bone. His leg ultimately had to be amputated.  

While recovering, he met Karim Ali, and over the next year the duo decided to found a para-cycling project. The team was established to provide athletic opportunities for disabled athletes in Gaza, many of whom have also sustained injuries due to Israeli airstrikes or sniper fire. Beyond its role as a competitive sports team, the Gaza Sunbirds have become a symbol of advocacy, using cycling to amplify the voices of disabled athletes and their community.

Gaza Sunbirds work in Gaza on humanitarian aid distribution, delivering assistance by bicycle to displaced and injured civilians in Gaza.  This continues although contacts tell us that often members are themselves too hungry, physically and mentally debilitated, but they work to raise awareness and bring solidarity to local people. Alaa al Dali and Mohammed Asfour, two of the Sunbirds evacuated the strip in 2024, are now competing for Palestine on a global stage. The rest of the team remains in Gaza. Our money will help raise their profile.

The Big Ride cycles against genocide and occupation and raises funds to provide life-saving aid.
Go here to find out more and/or sign up.

Sally Hobbs is a Palestine supporter and activist in Manchester.

National demonstration this weekend: