BBC Children in Need & The One Show’s Rickshaw Challenge returns for 2019, supported by McLaren

The Rickshaw Challenge has launched today with a new route, a new team, and a newly modified Rickshaw, designed and built by McLaren.

The annual challenge, which is now in its ninth year, will see a team of six young people and The One Show’s Matt Baker take on the eight-day challenge. It will begin on Friday 8 November in Holyhead and the team will travel across Wales for three days before crossing over into England in Oswestry, and then make their way down to the finish line at BBC Elstree Studios on Friday 15 November during the BBC Children in Need Appeal Show.

The team’s progress will be broadcast live on The One Show throughout the week, as Matt’s co-presenters back in the studio follow the team on their 400-mile journey. This year’s route will see the team tackle the highest village in the UK - Flash in the Peak District, and the steepest street in the world in Harlech, Wales.

Last year, a new custom rickshaw was built by a team of engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre to make the rickshaw accessible to a wider range of riders. An innovative seat-post system allowed team members with a range of mobilities to join the team. This year, McLaren has gone one step further and created an innovative solution that enables visually impaired and blind riders to take part in the challenge. A recumbent guide-trike, which fixes to the front of the Rickshaw allows steering and braking to be managed by a guide rider whilst a visually impaired rider pedals from the main driving seat of the Rickshaw.

The team taking on the challenge this year is made up of six young people: Adelle, 17, from Belfast, Emma, 18, from Nottingham, Josh, 17, from Lancashire, Kelsey, 17, from Watford, Thomas, 17, from Swindon, Uche, 20, from Bermondsey. To find out more about the riders and BBC Children in Need, visit: bbc.co.uk/Pudsey.