Updated on Jul 15th 2012 at 9:27 PM from the JustGiving API

Thank you to ABS LTD for donating 4 tickets to the carnegie cup semi final today, we Managed to raise a fantastic £40 per ticket, thanks to Seb Daly and Robert Bettley Smith (AKA the agent) for there persuasive auctioning skills

Updated on Jul 7th 2012 at 10:33 AM from the JustGiving API

The reliant is on display and open go donations/sponsorship today in Antrobus, have a look and please give generously.

In December last year my niece Imogen Daly was diagnosed with a liver problem, tests were carried out at North Staffordshire University Hospital and she was quickly referred to Birmingham Children's Hospital. Imogen had to spend her first Christmas in hospital and the outcome of this worrying and emotional time is that she has to have a liver transplant. Imogen was only three months old when she was diagnosed which makes the situation even more shocking. Just as I was I am sure that the majority of people are unaware of liver problems in babies and young children.

 

There is however a wonderful charity that provides help, support and information to parents and families trying to come to terms with such a situation, and that is the Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF). It was at this time I became aware of the CLDF and the huge amount of work that they do, it is their vision that childhood liver diseases will be understood, prevented and treated effectively. The support from the CLDF in person and by means of information which includes their web site www.childrensliverdisease.org is invaluable at these difficult and stressful times. Supporting research into childhood liver disease is another vital area of the CLDF’s work and it not only enhances understanding and improves treatments, but also gives young people and their families hope for a better future.

I know that the CLDF have been a massive support to Sebastian, Charlotte and the rest of the family whilst trying to come to terms with Imogen’s condition and treatment. As a father of two toddlers I can empathise but cannot begin to understand what Sebastian and Charlotte have gone through as well as other parents of children affected.

Following Imogen’s discharge from hospital I started thinking of ways to raise money and awareness for the charity, such that it became a subject of conversation between myself and Paul Milburn, over a quiet pint one night. In my opinion it is in these situations when some of the best (and worst plans) are formed. As the charity's logo colour is mainly yellow to highlight jaundice (yellowing of the skin) in children, and as we are both mechanics and self confessed petrol heads, we began to think “What is yellow, fun and has an engine?”

Neither of us have a pilot’s licence so Thunderbird 4 was out, the next thing on the list was Del Boy’s Reliant from the hit BBC series Only Fools and Horses. “Triffic” we thought, “John o’Groats to Lands End”, “Lovely Jubbly”. So a plan was formed and the next step was to contact the CLDF to see if they thought our madcap plan was a good idea. They loved it. They wanted dates, a route, pictures of the vehicle and other details, this is when the reality of the idea came thundering towards us like a runaway train. We spent a lot of time trying to find a reliable Reliant and after much time and effort we found our Robin and within a week we had it re-sprayed yellow, planned a route and organised a date. As time moves on we are improving the reliability of our carriage to ensure that it is up to the challenge of driving such a large distance from the North of Scotland to tip of Cornwall. We will have a support team following us in the event that we have to make any running repairs or to provide a top up of fuel which will be one of our biggest personal costs in the challenge.

If you have a sense of humour and want to see three mechanics Dan Spence, Paul Milburn Andrew Jones, a food engineer Dave Stubbs and a Reliant Robin drive from John o’Groats to Lands End within a week raising much needed money and awareness for the CLDF then please sponsor us whatever you can afford, even just 1p per mile. We have already had a lot of support and goodwill to our challenge and hope that this continues to grow and grow. You can keep an eye on our progress via our face book page Fools N Spanners or our twitter page @foolsnspanners. Please find time to look at the CLDF website and learn a little bit more about this fantastic charity and all they do to help parents and children suffering from this terrible affliction.