BELLS of a different sort rang at Winchester Cathedral last Saturday when cyclists from across the region united to pedal against poverty in the launch of Christian Aid Week.

Cyclists took part in sponsored rides from their homes to the cathedral, had a ‘Big Brekkie’ together, before joining in a mass cycling loop at 11am, calling for Sierra Leone’s debts accrued to tackle Ebola to be dropped.

Christian Aid Week (May 12-18) this year is highlighting the healthcare crisis in Sierra Leone, where ten mums a day die giving birth, and one in ten health workers were killed by the world’s worst Ebola outbreak between 2014 and 2016.

Repayments of international debts taken out to tackle Ebola are now hampering the country’s ability to rebuild its healthcare services.

The Dean of Winchester, the Very Rev Catherine Ogle, lead a blessing at the start of the mass loop.

She said: “Christian Aid is currently tackling poverty in 35 countries around the world. Sometimes the problems faced by communities living in poverty can seem overwhelming, but when we come together, the great power of people helps us believe that dignity, equality and justice are possible for everyone – and we can have some fun at the same time.”

She added: “We can trust that Christian Aid is able to not only reach these people in desperate need but also challenge the causes of poverty and empower people to lift themselves out of poverty at the same time.”

Sierra Leone is the most dangerous country in the world to give birth in. If there is no clinic in their village, pregnant women can wait up to eight hours before an ambulance arrives.

Others travel to hospital on the back of a hired motorbike, but the poorest have no choice but to walk for hours on foot.

Many women and babies do not survive the journey, particularly in the hunger months from May to December when food is scarce.

Among those taking part on Saturday was chief executive of Salisbury Diocese, David Pain, who lives in Winchester.

He said: “The Ebola crisis was a personal tragedy for so many people and communities, it was prevented from becoming a global tragedy by those who tackled it.

“Sierra Leone’s health service was decimated by the disease and I believe the Ebola debts must be written off so the country has an opportunity to rebuild and prevent more lives from being lost.

David added: “Food and cycling bring people together, which is fitting because that is what Christian Aid does. It enables us to reach out in solidarity to people across the world who are trapped in desperate poverty and work together for lasting change.”

Churches across Hampshire raised over £167,000 for Christian Aid week in 2018. As well as the cycling event, hundreds of local churches will this year be completing door-to-door collections, hosting other ‘Big Brekkies’ or holding a range of fundraising activities.