5 countries, 4 days, 1500 hundred miles, 100 teams

                        in a car bought for no more than £100

The Ramshackle Rally 4-7 August 2006 was a week of non-stop fun, meeting new people, driving across 4 countries, and not much sleep. It was a pretty crazy concept to start with – 60 cars, 4 countries, 5 days in a car bought for no more than £100. People painted ther cars, had a theme and wore costumes. Seeing as I was doing the rally to raise money for the Wood Green Animal Shelters I went as Crazy Cat Jess and dressed up in a cat outfit. The rally was a really exciting experience and I had a truly awesome time.

The rally was not without it's hiccups though - after pulling out 2 weeks before, I joined a team the weeked before the rally started. However 2 hours into the rally, our car broke down - the engine seized and we had to leave it. I then joined another team for the day - and over the next few days I joined 2 other teams.

Some of the countryside through europe was absolutely breathtaking - the french alpine village of Chaminoux, the swiss alps, and the Slovakian Tatra mountains were highlights. My favourite though was Poland - we stopped off at the little town of Zakopane, full of life and mountain culture, and I absolutely loved Krakow, our final destination.

The Ramshackle Rally was a whirlwind tour through Europe full of crazy adventures and an awesome group of people. While I didn't win, I did however recieve a trophy for having true Ramshackle Rally spirit and doing the rally "without even having a car!" I managed to raise about £350 pounds for the Wood Green Animal Shelters. I had such a great time doing the rally that I'm going to be doing it next year as well - with more organisation, sponsorship and fundraising. The destination for 2007 is Valencia in spain, arriving in time for La Tomatina festival. If this year is anything to go by, it should be fantatsic!

Why am I doing it for the Wood Green Animal Shelters?

Because I love animals and the Wood Green Animal Shelters take in over 6,000 animals a year and carry out a diverse range of work, including emergency ambulance calls, a drop-in vet surgery, a veterinary hospital, an elderly cat sanctuary and a re-homing service. 

I also love adventures, so I put two and two together!

If you have already donated - thank you so much. It's been so exciting, motivating and touching that so many people haev donated and left a message for me too. Thank you!

If you haven't donated, why don't you lend a helping hand - it really is a fantastic charity. The money you donate on this site goes directly to the charity.

Many thanks for your support.

Crazy Cat Jess

PS: Animals love everyone.

www.ramshacklerally.com