The Wild Ride Education Company (WREC) was established in 2006 and twenty years later continues to add educational value on the wild coast in delivering three more classrooms and two structures to the Bulungula Incubator program from funds raised in 2025. Tough economic times, the Covid pandemic and other challenges have not deterred the passion and enthusiasm of a small group of Wild Ride supporters from raising funds and contributing to WREC to allow such projects to be carried out.

Michael “Spider” Clark, a beloved figure and key founder of WREC, tragically passed away following a mountain-biking accident in June 2024. As a dedicated leader, he played a crucial role in driving the fundraising efforts, which have supported the construction of over 50 classrooms and improved educational infrastructure along the Wild Coast between 2006 and 2023. In a moving tribute to his legacy, close friends Jane Seggie and Ann Harrison took on the 2025 ABSA Cape Epic, choosing WREC as their charity in their “Ride 4 Spider” campaign. The seasoned veteran riders, who have participated in multiple Wild Rides, successfully finished the gruelling eight-day event, raising close to R230,000 to make a significant contribution to the educational support Spider was passionate about. WREC first linked up with the Bulungula Incubator Program in 2016 and started with providing a pre-school in Folokwe Village. This was followed with the first phase (six classrooms) of Bulungula College being built 2017 and continued with the second phase in 2018 (three classrooms) allowing the college to have it’s first intake of scholars in January 2019. A further three classrooms were added in 2023, to create a fully functioning school. The years in between saw projects taking place at Zithulele Independent School with a primary school opened in January 2019 and a further two classrooms added in 2024. Construction began on this latest project late last year with two classrooms and a kitchen being built at Phaphamani Pre-School as well as another classroom and office being added to Bulungula College, which was completed in early 2026. This brings the building tally to fifty-seven since WREC started out in 2006.

Participants in the Wild Ride powered by NUVO®, can be proud of the difference they have made to this impoverished region through their support of the event. It is also with grateful thanks to the event sponsor, NUVO® Rubber Compounders, as well as a key handful of loyal corporate donors, that WREC is able to continue to deliver on their classroom building quest to help young scholars along the wild coast gain an education which they may otherwise have not have had the opportunity to achieve.

From the Bulungula Incubator Program
For nearly a decade, WREC has been riding alongside the Bulungula Incubator — helping turn bold community dreams into lasting infrastructure.
From the very first preschool classrooms to the original buildings of Bulungula College in 2018, WREC has played a pivotal role in building the foundations of our Preconception to Career Programme.
Now, once again, WREC is investing in the future. Together, we are rebuilding Phaphamani Preschool — originally built by the community more than 10 years ago — creating safe, durable, beautiful new classrooms and a kitchen for the next generation of rural learners. At Bulungula College, WREC is funding a brand-new classroom and a guidance counsellor’s office, expanding opportunities for our growing high school and strengthening our Job Skills & Employment Programme. Since opening in 2019, Bulungula College has expanded significantly because of its success — and infrastructure has grown alongside it.
This partnership isn’t just about buildings. It’s about possibility.
It’s about local builders employed, young people accessing quality education close to home, and a community-led model that proves what’s possible when long-term partners commit to shared impact.
As the cyclists of the Wild Ride pass along the Wild Coast each year, they ride through a landscape where education is rising — brick by brick — thanks to this enduring partnership.
We are deeply grateful to WREC for almost a decade of belief, action, and impact.

From Rejane Woodroffe, Bulungula Incubator.