Words by Blyth Brentnall
A viral cat, Sigrid, and her human, Travis, have set out on a mission to promote charitable work as part of a Smiley News series. In the first episode they met an ex-England cricketer who volunteers for charity. Next they met a passionate cycling advocate.
That’s great! Tell me more.
The cat-owner duo meet Clare Rogers, a campaigner from the London Cycling Campaign to hear about the importance of cycling for women, the environment and cities as a whole.
While Sigrid purs in the spotlight, Clare and Travis discuss all things cycling. Clare shares her charity’s success stories and what it means for the people of London, in particular – for women.
“Less than a third of cycle trips in London are by women,” explains Clare. “So we organised the London Freedom Rides, at which Sigi was a lovely guest. And it kind of took us by surprise because we were expecting maybe 200 women to sign up. But we got over 1,000.”
Watch the full episode here. Later episodes will be released every Tuesday at 12pm till mid-October.
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Fawcett Society. This is the UK’s leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. Support them here.
Gendered Intelligence. This charity works to increase understandings of gender diversity and improve the lives of trans people. Learn more here.
Beyond Equality. This charity is disrupting harmful norms and creating possibilities for positive change, working with men and boys towards gender equality. Find out more here.
