Bicester Refugee Support is once again joining forces with the Campaign to Close Campsfield for a sponsored cycle ride from Sheep Street in Bicester, via the intended 'Accommodation Centre' for asylum seekers in Piddington, to Campsfield detention centre in Kidlington. This is a protest against the indefinite detention without trial which is taking place on our own doorsteps.

The increasing use of centres where people are locked away for no crime is shameful. What goes on inside the centres is deeply concerning.
Group 4 have been condemned in an independent report just published for out-and-out racism in their centre at Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire. An undercover journalist published his findings in January in the Mirror that were then scrutinised - and upheld. Group 4 run Campsfield House - and are rumoured to be a front runner for the Accommodation Centre contract. We don't want the centres and we don't want Group 4 making a profit from running the centres.

The villages we pass through are usually pretty quiet, so once we have left Bicester the cycle ride is very scenic and peaceful until we meet up with the rally at Campsfield House (bring whistles, balloons and instruments). This event serves both to raise funds and also to highlight the government policy of moving people at short notice and without explanation from one detention centre to another, preventing detainees from establishing relationships with supporters or legal representatives. Now that the government has reversed its decision to close Campsfield House, and has decided to expand it instead, we anticipate plenty of movement between these two centres in the future.

We will meet at 10am around the BRS banner in Sheep Street, Bicester, and expect to arrive at 12.30pm at Campsfield House, where we will join in the CCC's monthly demonstration.

Last year's bike ride was a great success, with riders cycling through beautiful (and flat!) Oxfordshire countryside on a gloriously sunny afternoon, to be greeted by regular demonstrators at Campsfield. A significant sum was raised through sponsorship towards our campaigns and everyone said how much they had enjoyed the event.
See our Website at  http://www.bicesterrefugeesupport.org.uk/gallery/index.html#cycleride
for some of the photos from last year's bike ride.

Please join us - or if you don't want to cycle but would nevertheless like to join in the event, then please offer to sponsor one of the riders and/or join us at Campsfield for the demonstration afterwards. You can REGISTER FOR THE EVENT BY PHONING LIZ PERETZ ON 01865 558145.

If you've never been to the monthly Campsfield House demonstrations or visited the site where the accommodation centre is intended to be built next year, this opportunity to visit is guaranteed to be an eye-opener and new people are particularly welcome. So why not dust off your cycle, pump up your tyres, and register with Liz today.


Further details for participants

As in previous years, a backup van will be there to provide refreshments and to rescue anyone who wants to drop out before the end. However, last year, even those who were out of practice managed the entire route (around 17 miles) without any problems because the land is so flat and the country roads are pleasantly free of traffic. (Admittedly, we didn't talk to them the next day though, so a bit of training beforehand may come in handy!)

An optional extra is to wear a fluorescent yellow waistcoat painted with anti-detention slogans, as we hope for media coverage at both ends to give publicity to our cause.

Also, please bring along anti-detention banners made out of old sheets or pillowcases, to tie to the wire fences surrounding the Accommodation Centre site.

Afterwards, cyclists living in Bicester who don't want to catch the train back can have their bikes transported by the backup van to Bicester while they take a bus or get a lift in a car.

Finally, don't forget to bring your shades or a hat, plus sunscreen.