UAE Ambassador to UK starts cycling tour

John O'Groats, Scotland - In the first leg of the journey, Abulhoul will travel to the city of Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Scottish Highlands.

Mansoor Abdullah Abulhoul, the UAE Ambassador to the United Kingdom, set out on a cycling tour on Tuesday, August 27, that will see him travel, in stages, from the north-east tip of Scotland, at the town of John O'Groats, to Land's End in Cornwall, at the south-western tip of England. It will take him across the length and breadth of Great Britain.
In the first leg of the journey, expected to take two days, Abulhoul will travel to the city of Inverness, the unofficial capital of the Scottish Highlands. Later stages will see him travel through Scotland to its capital, Edinburgh, and then across the border into England.
Abulhoul, who spent part of his youth at school in the United Kingdom, is an avid cyclist and told the Emirates News Agency, WAM, that he looks forward to refreshing childhood memories as well as learning more about the country.
"At the same time," he said, "I want to explore some of the wide variety of links between Britain and the UAE. Along my route, I hope to meet up with companies exporting to the UAE, or which would like to do so. I hope to call on some of the universities and institutes of higher education that have welcomed Emirati students. And I look forward to meeting people who have spent part of their lives working in the UAE, such as veteran officers of the old Trucial Oman Scouts, from half a century ago, or those who have worked in the Emirates in more recent years."
"The UAE's relationship with the United Kingdom is longstanding and deep-rooted. All of these people, places, and companies have played their part over the years in building the friendship that exists," the ambassador told WAM.
During his ride, which he hopes to complete in stages during his term as Ambassador to the UK, Abulhoul will also be raising funds for London's world-famous Great Ormond Street Hospital, where his sister once worked as a doctor.
In collaboration with University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, popularly known as GOSH, recently completed a new Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children. The Centre, inaugurated last month, (July), by Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was partly funded by a 60 million sterling donation from Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
"Over the last few decades, GOSH has provided world-class healthcare for hundreds of children from the Emirates," Abulhoul said. "I am delighted and proud to be able to dedicate my ride to support this magnificent institution."