About us

One of the most exciting events we have worked on is the Rickshaw Challenge. Born in 2011 after long term supporters of BBC Children in Need and BBC’s The One Show collaborated to find a fundraising challenge event for their presenter Matt Baker. The aim was to raise large sums of money for the charity and was the first time the Children in Need had endorsed a celebrity to take part in a challenge event for them. The challenge would be closely chartered by The One Show and featured during their live broadcasts every evening.

The Event

This arduous challenge would see Matt Baker cycle a rickshaw for over ten hours a day from Edinburgh to London, covering more than 480 miles over eight consecutive days in the harsh month of November! Not only did Matt have to cover these miles, he also had to aim to be at a pre-arranged finish location each day by 19:00 to appear in a live broadcast of The One Show and cross a finish line of supporters. Across the Divide were brought in by BBC Children in Need to ensure the full event and safety management of this challenge. We were responsible for the planning and management of the route, all permissions, security, accommodation, catering, all health and safety and working alongside both the charity and their TV partner to make sure both parties had their needs met. Across the Divide aimed to take the stress out of event organising from BBC Children in Need, so for them, the event felt simple to organise and they could concentrate on the fundraising, leaving the complex logistics in our capable hands.

The Outcome

The result was staggering! Matt Baker raised just shy of £2 million for BBC Children in Need. The success of his achievement led to the development of The One Show Rickshaw Challenge for BBC Children in Need into an annual event each November. The last four rickshaw challenges have seen the rickshaw be pedalled by a different team of young riders, each year, all of who have been supported by BBC Children in Need funded projects, who have wanted to give something back to the charity. The event is always eight days covering between 450-500 miles and it has covered all parts of the UK. Matt Baker uses his own experience as he cycles alongside the team every year, offering support and guidance. Across the Divide has been with the charity and the TV programme every step of the way as we have developed this unique fundraising event. We are proud to be part of something that has been such a success and raised over £11 million for the charity in five years.