Tandem bicycle ride supports suicide prevention

A Teesside University student has raised £50k for two charities by riding a tandem bicycle across the country to honour his late sister.

Xani Byrne, a first-year psychology student at Teesside University, organised a tandem bicycle ride with strangers from around the UK who had lost family or close friends to suicide.

He lost his sister, who battled mental health problems, to suicide in January 2022.

To help raise awareness and support suicide prevention, Xani, originally from Edinburgh, rode over 50 miles a day for 88 days all around the coast of Great Britian.

He was joined each day on the tandem bicycle by a different person, including those who had struggled with mental health problems themselves and others who had lost family members to suicide.

The event raised over £50k for Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) and PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide. More than 1,200 supporters contributed to the total.

In recognition of his fundraising efforts, Xani was invited to 10 Downing Street to receive a prestigious Points of Light award from the Prime Minister.

Xani Bryne said: “Since my sister Alice’s death, I have learned an enormous amount from others who have lost someone to suicide. On this tandem ride, I was joined by a different person each day who was affected by suicide.

“People who have lost someone to suicide have important things to say, and we should all listen because suicidal thoughts and feelings can happen to anyone. “I decided to raise money and awareness for two charities that do good and important work to stop suicide and support those affected by suicide.”

Xani explained while fundraising that he and Alice talked about a joint tandem bicycle ride to help her build the confidence to cycle around Edinburgh, expressing his regret that they never made time to do it. This was the inspiration behind the charity challenge.

To find out more about the tandem bicycle’s journey, find @tandemagainstsuicide on Instagram.

---