BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans rode nearly 400 miles across four countries for Children in Need

Radio presenter Owain Wyn Evans has completed the BBC Children in Need charity bike ride: over five days he covered nearly 400 miles through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales, setting off from Glasgow and finishing in Cardiff. According to the BBC, £3,853,530 was raised — the greatest distance of any such Radio 2 challenge for the charity.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 13 November 2026 at 18:332 min read

The key facts

Owain Wyn Evans rode nearly 400 miles across the four nations of the UK from 9 to 13 November
£3,853,530 was raised for BBC Children in Need
The BBC called it the 'greatest distance' of any Radio 2 challenge for the charity

The finish in Cardiff after five days on the road

BBC Radio 2 breakfast show presenter Owain Wyn Evans crossed the finish line in Cardiff on Friday, completing a bike ride through all four nations of the UK. He set off from Glasgow on 9 November and over five days covered nearly 400 miles — through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. The finish came shortly after 11:00 GMT, with a cheering crowd, his husband Arran Rees and his parents waiting at the finish line.

A record distance and the amount raised

According to the BBC, £3,853,530 was raised during the challenge, and the distance itself will be the 'greatest' ever covered in Radio 2 endeavours for Children in Need. This is Evans's second charity challenge: in 2021 he played the drums for 24 hours, raising more than £3 million.

The participant's own words and celebrity support

'I can't believe I'm here. It's overwhelming — all the love, passion and dedication people have shown,' Evans said after the finish. He admitted that, despite diligent training, 'in reality it is very hard', but every stage was 'amazing' and emotional. Among those offering support were the Princess of Wales, who recorded a video message in Welsh, and Shania Twain, after whom his bike was named — Shania Chain: she sent him a message of encouragement before the start and congratulations after the finish.

Who is Owain Wyn Evans

The 42-year-old Evans is from Ammanford in Carmarthenshire. He began his career on Welsh television with the children's news programme Ffeil, then presented the weather on BBC Wales Today, and since 2023 has hosted the Early Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2. The BBC Children in Need television broadcast will air on Friday at 19:00 GMT on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.