Ramshakle Rally 2009
Jon King is raising money for Prospect Hospice
Participants: Jon King, Neil Hilton, Tom Harris and Mike Daviss
Story
**Update 26/08/2009**
What a journey! Over 1800 miles completed in the end. We overcame many a problem, our CD player kept skipping and at one point the fuse for our indicators had blown, but we struggled on. Other teams had it slightly harder… One bloke down and temporarily shut the Mont Blanc tunnel, others didn’t make it Dover another completed the rally in a hire car. Hannibal got taken in by the police and had to convince the officers that he was a part of a rally and not an escaped convict. Quite an eventful trip!
Again, thanks to all of you for being so generous, I’m amazed at how much we have raised for such a good course. Watch out for us next year (maybe) in the mean time check out the latest pictures and look out for us in the Swindon Adver later this week.
Pictures can be found by pasting this link into your browser…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/sets/72157622149883820/
**Update 19/08/2009**
Well, only a few days to go before the big expedition. I just thought I would write a few words to express our thanks for all the support and for all the generous donations that we have received. The response on this site has been fantastic and our target has again been smashed. Thank you one and all.
The local press has been keen to cover our story and we will feature in the paper on Wednesday. With the possibility of a follow-up article upon our return.
Fresh photo’s have been uploaded onto Flickr, possibly the best yet. One photo even shows the experimental clothing as mentioned in the original story below. Paste this into your browser address bar and give yourself a laugh... http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/
**Update 02/08/2009**
We're ran out of space for photo's here so I've setup a Flickr acount...http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/
Follow the link for more upto date photo's
**Update 10/07/2009**
Well, it seems as though we have had a fantastic response so far. So great in fact that I feel maybe our target was a little low. Thanks very much to all of those who have given so far.
Our Story
In August 2009 four brave heroes will attempt to drive a 1988 Volvo 240 1,450 miles from Calais (France) to Valencia (Spain). The expedition will last 5 days, during which we will be forced to travel over some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth (European roads). Our journey will take us over ice capped mountains and through scorching desert heat before we reach our final destination.
To prepare for this trip the Volvo has been modified by applying a thin covering of highly reflective sheet metal (tin foil). This will protect us from the potentially lethal solar glare when travelling through deserts and also provide essential camouflage while travelling over mountain ranges. The interior also had to be modified to cope with the strain of carrying these 4 young heroes. Purple cloth and scatter cushions will provide comfort while a custom Stereo system will provide entertainment and keep up moral. A CB Radio will also be fitted, this will effectively be a life line to civilisation.
While planning the expedition careful thought has been put in to clothing and survival wear. Local laws and customs have been checked, indigenous cultures studied and climate has also been taken into account. This research has lead to a new waving of thinking in terms of survival clothing and as such this expedition will be carefully monitored by universities and scientists across the world. The apparel will include but not be limited to...
Purple Gore-Tex wide brimmed hats
Elvis style gold UV protection sunglasses
Highly visible base layer vest tops
Bright large collared shirts.
Experimental Bikini wear matched with fish-net leg protectors will also be worn by at least one of the team members, this in particular will be closely watched by various academic groups from around the world, as the local reaction to this type of clothing is currently unknown.
Please give generously, £1 per mile would be great.
Finally, in the words of the great George W. Bush “We are ready for any unforeseen event which may or may not happen.”
Prospect Hospice
Since 1980 Prospect Hospice has provided specialist end of life care for patients in the community of Swindon, Marlborough and north east Wiltshire.
We provide:
* In-patient care
* Day Hospice
* Prospect@Home
* Prospect Nurse Specialists
* Therapies
* Family Support
* Chaplaincy
* Education
Each year, it costs us around £4.2million to provide our services, three-quarters of which we must raise ourselves through our Income Generation team.
What a journey! Over 1800 miles completed in the end. We overcame many a problem, our CD player kept skipping and at one point the fuse for our indicators had blown, but we struggled on. Other teams had it slightly harder… One bloke down and temporarily shut the Mont Blanc tunnel, others didn’t make it Dover another completed the rally in a hire car. Hannibal got taken in by the police and had to convince the officers that he was a part of a rally and not an escaped convict. Quite an eventful trip!
Again, thanks to all of you for being so generous, I’m amazed at how much we have raised for such a good course. Watch out for us next year (maybe) in the mean time check out the latest pictures and look out for us in the Swindon Adver later this week.
Pictures can be found by pasting this link into your browser…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/sets/72157622149883820/
**Update 19/08/2009**
Well, only a few days to go before the big expedition. I just thought I would write a few words to express our thanks for all the support and for all the generous donations that we have received. The response on this site has been fantastic and our target has again been smashed. Thank you one and all.
The local press has been keen to cover our story and we will feature in the paper on Wednesday. With the possibility of a follow-up article upon our return.
Fresh photo’s have been uploaded onto Flickr, possibly the best yet. One photo even shows the experimental clothing as mentioned in the original story below. Paste this into your browser address bar and give yourself a laugh... http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/
**Update 02/08/2009**
We're ran out of space for photo's here so I've setup a Flickr acount...http://www.flickr.com/photos/41047153@N04/
Follow the link for more upto date photo's
**Update 10/07/2009**
Well, it seems as though we have had a fantastic response so far. So great in fact that I feel maybe our target was a little low. Thanks very much to all of those who have given so far.
Our Story
In August 2009 four brave heroes will attempt to drive a 1988 Volvo 240 1,450 miles from Calais (France) to Valencia (Spain). The expedition will last 5 days, during which we will be forced to travel over some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth (European roads). Our journey will take us over ice capped mountains and through scorching desert heat before we reach our final destination.
To prepare for this trip the Volvo has been modified by applying a thin covering of highly reflective sheet metal (tin foil). This will protect us from the potentially lethal solar glare when travelling through deserts and also provide essential camouflage while travelling over mountain ranges. The interior also had to be modified to cope with the strain of carrying these 4 young heroes. Purple cloth and scatter cushions will provide comfort while a custom Stereo system will provide entertainment and keep up moral. A CB Radio will also be fitted, this will effectively be a life line to civilisation.
While planning the expedition careful thought has been put in to clothing and survival wear. Local laws and customs have been checked, indigenous cultures studied and climate has also been taken into account. This research has lead to a new waving of thinking in terms of survival clothing and as such this expedition will be carefully monitored by universities and scientists across the world. The apparel will include but not be limited to...
Purple Gore-Tex wide brimmed hats
Elvis style gold UV protection sunglasses
Highly visible base layer vest tops
Bright large collared shirts.
Experimental Bikini wear matched with fish-net leg protectors will also be worn by at least one of the team members, this in particular will be closely watched by various academic groups from around the world, as the local reaction to this type of clothing is currently unknown.
Please give generously, £1 per mile would be great.
Finally, in the words of the great George W. Bush “We are ready for any unforeseen event which may or may not happen.”
Prospect Hospice
Since 1980 Prospect Hospice has provided specialist end of life care for patients in the community of Swindon, Marlborough and north east Wiltshire.
We provide:
* In-patient care
* Day Hospice
* Prospect@Home
* Prospect Nurse Specialists
* Therapies
* Family Support
* Chaplaincy
* Education
Each year, it costs us around £4.2million to provide our services, three-quarters of which we must raise ourselves through our Income Generation team.