A young British musical talent has been cycling and busking throughout the towns and villages of the county of Norfolk to raise funds for a trip to Malaysia.
From April 20-21, 11-year-old Noam Dewhurst cycled a total of 80.5km through localities with initials that spelt out “Malaysia.”
Thus, with the fluttering Jalur Gemilang attached to his bicycle, he rode through a total of eight towns and villages.
Upon reaching each of his destinations, he alights from his bicycle to play Malaysia’s national anthem, “Negaraku” on his trumpet.
With the generous donations of the people of Norfolk, he is well on his way to raising enough funds for a trip to Malaysia with his band, the South Norfolk Youth Symphonic Band (SNYSB).
When asked by FMT why Malaysia was his chosen destination, Ben Dewhurst, Noam’s father, said that SNYSB has visited the country twice before and had contacts in the Kuala Lumpur and Kuching Rotary Clubs.
However, he said, this will be the first time Noam will be visiting the country and the boy has expressed great excitement about this upcoming holiday.
Ben added that during the bike ride, several people recognised the Malaysian flag on Noam’s bicycle and asked about it.
“A few of them knew Malaysia because they had been out there and told him that he is going to have an amazing time,” said Ben.
The people of Norfolk, he said, were very supportive of his son’s endeavours, and Noam and the SNYSB had since been hard at work raising funds through bake sales, local performances and concerts.
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Noam is particularly excited at the thought of playing the trumpet alongside others his age, but from a different country with a different culture.
He will also be delighted to try the country’s culinary offerings and is already particularly fond of rice dishes.
While here, said Ben, half of the holiday will be spent performing with local school bands and the other half on sight-seeing.
Besides a visit to the Petronas Twin Towers, Noam and the band will be taking part in a cultural tour of Kuching and a trip to a nearby orang-utan sanctuary.
“Because Malaysia is so different to where we are, I think there will be quite a few things that he will only learn about once he’s out there,” Ben explained.
“He has said that he’s really looking forward to learning about how Malaysian people live from day to day, and how it’s similar and different to our lives.”
Those interested in keeping updated with Noam’s progress can visit www.facebook.com/bikeandbusk.
Donations to the cause can also be made at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/bikeandbusk.