OW cycles across Europe to fundraise for Mustardseed

We were delighted to welcome Archie White (OW 2024) back to MCS earlier this week and hear first-hand about his epic fundraising journey for Mustardseed Junior School, our partner school in Uganda.

In a remarkable display of endurance, generosity, and global spirit, Archie completed a 5,000km solo cycle across Europe this summer – raising over £5,000 for Mustardseed. Beginning in Naples and finishing in Oxford, Archie’s journey was as much a personal challenge as it was a mission to make a difference.

Archie shared that he had been planning this cycle for over two years following an MCS music trip and inspiration from his album ‘A Baroque Progress’, recorded during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. Comprised of soprano arias from sacred and secular repertoire, the album raised funds for charities including the Mustardseed Junior School. The Baroque music on the album represented a journey through time across Europe.

The solo cycle took inspiration from this album, travelling a route beginning with Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and his death in Pozzuoli, Naples. The journey went through key places in the lives of a selection of composers, including Bononcini, Vivaldi, Stötzel, Bach, Purcell and Handel.

As Archie notes on his JustGiving page, “Owing to the time constraints of my own ongoing education, I will not be going by horse, on foot or by 18th Century carriage but on the closest modern equivalent – the bicycle.”

Archie whilst cycling across Europe

We were delighted to welcome Archie back to MCS and hear about his journey. From uneven terrains, overnight camping and bracing all varieties of weather from thunderstorms to scorching heat, the trip was inspirational and will be transformative to Mustardseed.

To support Archie’s fundraiser, please visit this link. To find out more about the Mustardseed Junior School, MCS’s international partner school, please visit our partnerships page.

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