Dean Close School teacher Wallace Ascham is cycling a remarkable 9,000 kilometres from Turkey to China and he's doing it for a very good cause.

The physics teacher is raising money for a brand new education centre in Kampala, Uganda, and is nearing the end of his quite stunning journey.

It’s a journey that has seen him cycle along the Silk Road, an ancient trade route linking China with the West, and its one that he started in April with his mission being to complete it later this month.

He is cycling solo and when he has finished he will have passed through nine countries, spending his nights wild camping along the way, with all of his provisions on his back.

This mammoth mission is all in support of Kids Club Kampala, a small UK charity helping children and families in Uganda to survive and thrive.

After the recent demolition of their Encouraging Education centre in Naguru slum, Ascham felt inspired to support the charity with their rebuilding costs, recreating a centre where programmes in the community can continue.

The new centre alone would support 35 three-to-six-year-old out of school children with free education and lunch every weekday.

It would also provide a safe space for the charity’s Saturday Kids Clubs to take place, which are usually attended by more than 100 children and teenagers every week.

Ascham planned to raise £27,000 to help cover the cost of this work but with hopes of smashing his target, he is now hoping he can raise £40,000 to completely cover the cost of the new education centre.

Over the past 15 years Kids Club Kampala has supported 309,370 people across their programmes and the organisation are delighted that Ascham has taken up their cause.

“We are so proud that Wallace has decided to take on this jaw-dropping challenge for us,” said Jo Black, interim CEO of Kids Club Kampala.

“The loss of our education centre has been a huge blow to the community living in Naguru.

“The centre has hosted free early years education for so many children in the community, as well as being a food bank during Covid, providing vital provisions for families who lost their income overnight.

“It hosted our community library and worked as a creche for women who were taking part in our free sewing and knitting courses next door.

“We are so grateful to Wallace for his determination and commitment to leave a lasting legacy and enable so many people to break the cycle of poverty.”

Anyone who would like to support Ascham should visit https://fundraising.kidsclubkampala.org/wallace-ascham. You can also follow his journey on Instagram @ ou_est_wallace

Any business, school or church who would like to get involved can also get in touch with the team at Kids Club Kampala by emailing fundraising@kidsclubkampala.org or visiting their website at www.kidsclubkampala.org