Over the past month, the Bike the UK for MS team has been out on the road visiting universities across the UK to meet new students, spread the word about our rides, and inspire people to take part. These visits are an important part of how we connect with young people, raise awareness about multiple sclerosis, and grow our amazing community of cyclists who ride to make a difference.
University of Bristol
Two of our placement students, Amelia and Niamh, set up a stall at the University of Bristol’s Welcome Fair at the end of September to introduce students to Bike the UK for MS and give them a sense of the adventure they could be tackling next year. The fair was really well attended with around 16,000 students, which gave them the opportunity to have some great conversations with people excited to learn more about our rides and the cause we support.
Many students stopped by to ask questions about our summer cycling challenges, the fundraising process, and what it’s like to be part of a BTUKFMS team. Amelia and Niamh also spoke with students who shared personal stories about how MS has affected friends or family, which was really inspiring to hear.
By the end of the fair, several students had expressed interest in joining our rides next year, and two signed up to Lon Las Cymru the next day! It was great to connect with so many students, and we look forward to seeing many of them out on the road with us in 2026.
University of Bath
Ava and Niamh had the opportunity to attend the University of Bath’s Health and Sport placement fair, where they had the chance to talk to students about both our placement opportunities and summer rides. The Bath community has always been close to our hearts, it’s home to several of our past riders and even our Executive Director James who’s a Bath alumni himself!
Ava and Niamh spent the day chatting with second year students, who are keen on gaining hands-on experience in the health and sport industry, about our placement opportunities. If you’re interested in applying for a placement with us for the 26/27 academic year, drop us an email with your CV.
The visit to Bath also gave us the chance to share information about our four rides next summer. They were able to speak to many people interested in joining us, some who had never heard of MS before and others who shared personal connections to the cause. The visit was a really great experience and was really encouraging to see so many people interested in joining us whether that’s on the road or behind the scenes.
Since the fair, we’ve also been able to reconnect with the cycling society at Bath to explore future opportunities to collaborate. Our trip to Bath was really encouraging to speak to students eager to hear more about our mission and we can’t wait to see some familiar faces from Bath out on the road next summer.
Bangor University
At Bangor University, we had the opportunity to set up a stall outside the Students’ Union, where Ava and Niamh spent the day handing out flyers and sweets while chatting with students passing by. The stall sparked lots of great conversions with people interested in learning more about our rides and the cause we support, including one person who had already completed the Lon Las Cymru route on a stationary bike as part of a personal challenge and was now excited by the idea of taking on the real thing next summer.
Our visit to Bangor was a really positive experience, helping us reach new faces, build connections with the university community, and continue raising awareness of MS among students interested in combining adventure with purpose. We hope it’s the start of many more great conversations to come.
Looking Ahead
The visits to Bristol, Bath, and Bangor University were a great experience to connect with students and share our rides and mission. They gave us the opportunity to meet inspiring young people and build a new community of young riders who want to make a difference for those affected by MS. As a result of these visits, we’ve already had sign ups for our 2026 rides which is really encouraging to see.
A huge thank you to the Universities for having us and everyone who stopped by to chat, signed up, or shared their stories. We loved meeting you all and can’t wait to see you out on the road in 2026!
