Berkeley Group has joined a network of public and private sector partners to raise awareness of modern slavery and celebrate Freewheel, a new support service for survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking.
The Freewheel programme empowers survivors of these crimes to reintegrate into society. This year it will give more than 20 people in Barking & Dagenham bikes and cycling proficiency training to support their physical and mental health, and independence.
To mark the launch of the Freewheel Hub, more than 20 cyclists from sponsor organisations, including Berkeley, joined Ride For Freedom on an 30km ride from Dagenham to the Buxton Memorial in Westminster, which celebrates the abolition of slavery.
The launch was led by the founder of Ride For Freedom, double Cycling Guinness World Record holder, Gordon Miller. He said: “Slavery was abolished almost 200 years ago (1833) but modern slavery remains all around us, often hidden in plain sight. I’m delighted that Ride For Freedom and our Barking & Dagenham Freewheel Hub partners have come together to launch the Hub, and harness the universal appeal of cycling to unite our voices and advocate to ‘End Modern Slavery’.”
Ride for Freedom, a movement to end modern slavery, estimates that there were 136,000 victims in the UK in July 2018. Modern slavery includes many types of forced labour and trafficking, and construction is amongst the sectors thought to be at most risk of labour exploitation.
Berkeley’s contribution to the Freewheel programme is part of the Group’s wider commitment to tackling the risk of modern slavery and child labour, both within its site operations and throughout its domestic and international supply chains. Read the company’s Modern Slavery Statement here.
Ride For Freedom welcomes donations of bikes and accessories for its Freewheel programme – contact info@RideForFreedom.org.uk if you would like to donate or discuss supporting its work in other ways.
Partners Unite to Tackle Modern Day Slavery
30th March 2022
