{"id":618651,"date":"2026-04-20T06:48:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/618651\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T06:48:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T06:48:14","slug":"big-yellow-pipeline-challenge-returns-as-wa-cyclists-tackle-600km-ride-for-struggling-young-mums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/618651\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Yellow pipeline challenge returns as WA cyclists tackle 600km ride for struggling young mums"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welshpool mining company Big Yellow is stepping up for vulnerable young mums, sponsoring Youth Futures\u2019 600km pipeline bike ride challenge.<\/p>\n

Riders will push off on April 29 from Kalgoorlie, pedalling more than 600km to Perth over five days as part of the pipeline challenge.<\/p>\n

Returning for its 11th year, the event raises funds for the Youth Futures Nest program, providing critical support for young families struggling with homelessness.<\/p>\n

Big Yellow chief executive Mitch Wallace said the bike ride meant a lot to his company.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event has history for us. It\u2019s not just about the ride, it\u2019s about real impact. If you\u2019ve ever sat at the finish line in Parkerville and listened to the stories of these resilient young families, you\u2019ll know what I mean. It pulls at your heart,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur people are all in – volunteering, riding, raising funds and sharing the message.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Wallace also stepped in as ride director when the event was at risk of not going ahead last year.<\/p>\n

\"BigCamera IconBig Yellow CEO Mitch Wallace. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve taken part in the event for a few years, but when we heard the ride might not happen in 2025, we didn\u2019t wait. We stepped up, fast-tracked our support, and helped bring it back \u2013 organising the whole event and making sure it went ahead,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year we added a new feature, the CEO Challenge, a 78km one-day ride from Grass Valley to Parkerville, on the final day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want leaders out on the trail, connecting with their teams, mentoring young people, and showing that action beats intention every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nest gives parents aged 16 to 25 access a safe home for up to two years and offers personal support from youth workers while young parents plan for the future.<\/p>\n

It also helps them maintain custody of their babies when dealing with homelessness or unsafe living situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people don\u2019t know that if a young woman doesn\u2019t have a fixed address, her baby can be taken into state care. That\u2019s the reality,\u201d Mr Wallace said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t a polished, corporate charity event. There are no five-star finish lines or celebrity selfies. It\u2019s dusty. It\u2019s tough. It\u2019s real.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut every dollar raised goes straight to the Nest outreach and housing program, helping young mums stay with their babies, stay housed, and rebuild their lives. That\u2019s what matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-time rider Micah Manger will be participating in the single day ride on May 3, travelling 78km from Grass Valley to Parkerville.<\/p>\n

\"MicahCamera IconMicah Manger will take on the one-day 78km pipeline ride to support young mums through the Young Futures Nest program. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n

A Fremantle-based search and rescue crew member, Ms Manger said she was excited to take on an adventure for another critical cause.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am doing the challenge as part of a team of four. We are a rowing team, a group of four Perth girls,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all frontline workers and are very aware of the lack of funding and disparity in access to support for essential services like Youth Futures and their Nest program.\u201d<\/p>\n

She heard about the ride from Mr Wallace. Big Yellow is also sponsoring her rowing team in another massive fundraiser that will take the rowing crew across the Atlantic Ocean for the World\u2019s Toughest Row in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cSoon we will be doing an unsupported and self-contained row across the Atlantic Ocean \u2013 4800km, to raise funds for Ruah Community Services and the Royal Flying Doctor Service,\u201d Ms Manger said.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like Youth Futures Nest program, these are all essential services that really lack the funding they need and deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CassieCamera IconCassie Gaff, Micah Manger, Chelsea Tanner and Laura Lily are also participating in the World’s Toughest Row in June. Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n

Five per cent of Big Yellow\u2019s profits go to not-for-profits such as Youth Futures.<\/p>\n

Mr Wallace said the company\u2019s number one priority this year was the pipeline challenge, and it is hoping to raise more than $1 million after last year\u2019s record-breaking fundraiser.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re keeping overheads at zero. We\u2019re planning donation matching again this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to the generosity of our sponsors and guests at the launch event we raised over $120,000 on the evening, with every dollar going directly to the Youth Futures Nest program.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Youth Futures chief executive Michelle Jenkins said given WA\u2019s current housing crisis, providing flexible support for young parents was desperately needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeen parents and their babies are becoming homeless after being forced from home – they are in immediate crisis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYouth Futures stands between teen parents and the street, providing beds, meals and stability when there\u2019s no government funding to fall back on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every dollar raised through the pipeline bike ride goes towards the Nest program.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Nest supported 97 young families who sought help, but was unable to meet the needs of everyone who reached out due to capacity constraints.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program relies on community support to survive. Pipeline doesn\u2019t just fund a cycling event, it directly funds beds, meals and life-changing support for young parents and their babies,\u201d Ms Jenkins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why the Nest exists. And why the commitment of our partners and community continues to make such a meaningful difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 2015, more than 600 riders and support crew across WA have joined the ride, raising more than $1.5m.<\/p>\n

Mr Wallace said Big Yellow\u2019s sponsorship of the pipeline challenge has helped bring the community together to make a meaningful difference for young mothers and their families.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Big Yellow, the event reflects our values of leadership, teamwork, and creating meaningful social impact beyond business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether we will make a difference, the 2026 ride will be bigger and better and we can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welshpool mining company Big Yellow is stepping up for vulnerable young mums, sponsoring Youth Futures\u2019 600km pipeline bike…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[569],"tags":[64,63,14660,784,1625,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-618651","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-community-news","11":"tag-cycling","12":"tag-lifestyle","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}