A Sutton teenager has been selected to join a new team of riders for a huge 423-mile challenge which aims to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Phoebe, a first-year medical student at university, is participating in the Rickshaw Challenge and was picked following her work with the charity Action for Stammering Children.

The 19-year-old youth member, who has helped to “shape” their projects, will join five others and the One Show’s Matt Baker.

They will all take turns riding the rickshaw to the finish line and begin their journey in Calais, France, this Friday (November 9).

From there, the team will pedal 31 miles through the service tunnel of the Channel Tunnel, head north from Folkestone, in Kent, and trek through England and Wales.

They aim to end up in Salford, Greater Manchester, on November 16 during the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show.

Phoebe said: “I’m so excited to be involved, I can’t wait to get started and help raise much needed funding for BBC Children in Need, awareness of stammering and the charity Action for Stammering Children.

“I know it will be hard work though and I’m trying to do some cycling to get ready.”

 

The One Show presenters Matt Baker and Alex Jones with Phoebe (centre). Photo: Guy Levy

Phoebe developed a stammer when she was around eight years old and, over the years, it began to worsen – particularly in secondary school.

Because of it, she felt as though she couldn’t express herself fully as it affected all aspects of her life and preyed on her mind every day.

She added: “The stammer preoccupied my mind every day. Even the smallest speaking tasks, filled me with dread.

“A few hiccups at the start of her sentences became heavy blocks.”

After practising effectively every day, her speech has dramatically improved.

Phoebe admits some days are tough but speech therapy has boosted her confidence.

The university undergraduate added: “The stammer preoccupied my mind every day. Even the smallest speaking tasks, filled me with dread.

“A few hiccups at the start of her sentences became heavy blocks.”

 

The 2018 Rickshaw Challenge team. Photo: Guy Levy

Action for Stammering Children is a charity which aims to help and support as many of the 150,000 children said to have developed a stammer across the UK.

Stammering is a communication impairment which affects roughly five percent of all children and a percentage of all adults globally.

The One Show presenter Alex Jones said: “The Rickshaw Challenge is a chance for our viewers to really see how funding from BBC Children in Need is making a difference to young people’s lives.

“It’s one of the highlights of our year at The One Show, and I can’t wait to cheer on the team as they conquer another epic journey across the country on the rickshaw.”

The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge has raised more than £21 million for BBC Children in Need since 2011.

You can catch The One Show from 7pm, from November 8 to November 16.

For more information, visit: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey