A charity CEO from Teddington will cycle 190 miles in a single day, marking the 190 days pupils spend in school each year, to help tackle the difficulties faced by LGBT+ young people. 

Laura Mackay, chief executive of Just Like Us, the LGBT+ young people's charity, will cycle 190 miles from Canterbury to Bath on 10 June 2024.

During the 190 school days each year, 91% of LGBT+ young people hear homophobic and transphobic slurs as they walk the corridors, and they are twice as likely to be bullied as their non-LGBT+ peers. 

Just Like Us is working to change this, providing schools with the tools they need to make sure all young people have a safe and supportive learning environment. 

This is why the charity is inviting its supporters to fundraise by getting involved with The 190 Challenge.

To represent the 190 days young people spend in school each year, supporters can run, row, cycle, hike or swim 190km or create their own 190-minute challenge to fundraise for Just Like Us.

Laura will complete the challenge this June (image supplied)

Laura Mackay said: "Growing up, we spend 190 days at school every year. Days that should be filled with opportunities to learn and flourish; days that should provide safety and support for all children and young people.

"For me, many of those 190 days at school each year were spent hiding and worrying about who I was; considering if I could ever be happy. So much of my energy was spent dreading lessons, break times, lunch times when I knew there would be no escape from children who bullied me for not conforming to what I should look like or how I should behave as a girl. 

"Energy that I could have used to focus on my education, was drained by the continuous wave of homophobic and sexist comments that went unchallenged, and by the constant fear of isolation and rejection.

"No one told me it was OK to be gay; no one showed me that I could be proud of who I was; no one protected me from the bullying. 

"At Just Like Us, we're working to change that - so every single day at school can be free from homophobic and transphobic language and bullying. No child should face barriers or feel anxious because of who they are. No child should feel alone and unsafe at school. Every child should be supported to learn and thrive."

This year, from 24 to 28 June, almost 7,000 schools across the UK will celebrate School Diversity Week with Just Like Us.

School Diversity Week is a celebration of LGBT+ equality and inclusion, and by signing up, schools can access support and free resources for all key stages to help them celebrate.