A FARNHAM schoolboy has cycled 50 miles in one day to raise money for international development charity Tearfund’s Indonesia Tsunami Appeal.

Paul Collins, who survived two earthquakes when he was just nine years old, set off from Tearfund’s UK base in Teddington, Middlesex, shortly before 8am on October 6.

The Farnham Heath End School pupil arrived in Brighton just after 4.30pm.

Remembering his own experience in the Nepal earthquakes of 2015, 12-year-old Paul said: “When I heard that an earthquake had struck Indonesia, I could understand how people must have been feeling and I wanted to help.

“It’s like after losing something you love: when you see someone else lose the same thing, you can’t just stand there and watch.

“So I decided to take on this challenge.”

“The first 25 miles were quite easy and flew by, but the second half of the journey, which was mainly on cycle paths beside the main roads, was more challenging, especially as the wind began to pick up.

“There was one final, very long hill before the great descent into Brighton. I felt relieved and happy when we arrived, and I was looking forward to having fish and chips!”

Paul was determined to set his wheels in motion and get fundraising when he heard the earthquake, which struck Indonesia in September causing a six-metre-high tsunami, had killed more than 2,000 people. Many buildings were badly damaged or destroyed and livelihoods lost.

Tearfund responded to the disaster and continues to provide temporary shelters, cooking equipment, blankets, winter clothes, food and hygiene items, as well as repairing water supplies and building latrines and bathing areas.

Back in 2015, as reported at the time by the Herald, Paul was living with his family in Nepal when two major earthquakes struck, killing more than 8,000 people and leaving millions facing hardship.

When he returned to the UK in the summer of 2015 with his parents Steve and Jude, who both work for Tearfund, Paul didn’t forget his experience in Nepal.

Although then only nine years old, he wanted to use his love of cycling to help rebuild the country. He set off on a 100-mile ride across north Yorkshire and raised more than £4,000 for Tearfund’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal.

Paul’s most recent challenge was in aid of Tearfund’s Indonesia Tsunami Appeal. Donations can still be made online at justgiving.com/fundraising/paul-collins-50 mile.