24-7 ibiza aim to meet the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the people we meet. One expression of this is in San Antonio on the west coast of ibiza where, during the summer season, people come for its wild parties, hedonism and anything-goes attitude. Sometimes holidays don’t go according to plan and people can find themselves alone and in a vulnerable position after consuming too much alcohol or too many drugs. This can often be a scary a experience if there’s no way to get back home. As we walk around the streets of the west end we have a look out for these vulnerable people and try to help them get back to their accommodation safely or bring them to the medical centre or police station of extra assistance is needed.

In the summer of 2007 we started to notice a need out on the streets of the west end. We were finding people in such a messy state that the taxi drivers on the island wouldn’t drive them. The team at the time used their own personal vehicles to take people back to their hotels or to the medical centre. Then one night someone they’d put in their car urinated in the front seat. This caused a problem when it was time to do the school run in the morning! They knew something had to change. Brian Heasley blogged about the need for a vehicle, and within a week someone had donated the money for our very first vomit van.

In San Antonio some of the hotels are within walking distance to the West End, and using the wheel chair we are able to transport people back to their accommodation easily. However many of the hotels are around the Bay Area and aren’t easy to get to on foot, so our trusty Vomit Van is a vital resource for what we do.

In the summer season of 2017 we assisted over 200 people (excluding their friends) back to their accommodation, including hen and stag parties, Mother and daughter duos, women in their 60s who were enjoying their first trip to ibiza, solo travellers, ibiza veterans and many more. If people appear too drunk or at risk of vomiting the taxis refuse to bring them home therefore we provide the vital service of seeing people back safely regardless of their state. We offer the lift free of charge as our main aim is to see friends reunited and individuals get back to a comfortable and safe place.

The van is not only used in our street work but it’s also used to transport our summer teams to and from the airport and around the island. Last summer we welcomed over 70 volunteers from around the world who provided some much needed help in our work especially during the busier summer months.

Unfortunately, this season, our van is on it’s last legs and is now costing us a lot of money on repairs to keep it on the road. As it’s a huge part of our ministry we have decided to raise funds for a new van.