Charity drive

Charity drive

20 Aug 2007

Amanda Riley tells us about her and her husband Steve's 4x4 journey to the wilds of Africa

Firstly let me introduce ourselves, we are a group of two families. First, there’s the Riley family, made up of myself, Amanda, husband Steve – who some of you might know from Koken Tools – and two boys, Blayne (15) and Lorcan (11). Then there’s also the Ellis family, of Heather, Nigel and 10-year-old Laura (10).

In December we are setting off in two fully-equipped Land Rovers to drive to the Gambia in west Africa. We are funding the entire trip as this is something we have wanted to do for several years. However, we would like to raise money for good causes too.

One being the school in a village called Brufut in the Gambia. We would like to buy books for the school library and if we raise enough money then we want to build a new classroom. The other good cause is the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa and very poor. Most of the population get by on about £1 per family per day and most villages don’t have running water or electricity.

They are always happy and willing to share what little they do have and everyone is eager to learn. The children really want to go to school and learn.

Brufut is a small village about 20 minutes from the main tourist resort and while there is electricity on the main highway, the villagers are not able to afford this ’luxury’.

We are leaving the UK on Friday December 7 and driving to Portsmouth for the ferry across the channel. From there we drive through France and Spain and then catch the ferry to North Africa.

We will then drive though Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and finally into the Gambia.

We have no set route (this is a once in a lifetime trip and if we want to spend a few days in an interesting town we don’t want to be restricted by timetables and routes) but the plan is roughly - Ceuta, Chefchaouen, Fez, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Tiznit and onto Tarifaya in Morocco, then Laayoune, and Dakhla in Western Sahara then onto Nouadhibou, Nouakchott, and Diama in Mauritania.

Following this we are planning to go to St Louis and Dakar in Senegal before entering the Gambia and finishing in Brufut. This is all subject to change although we have to be in the Gambia on the January 7 to pick up our flight tickets to return on the 8.

We are having a Cobra Trak system fitted to both Land Rovers so that we can be tracked via the internet by anyone who is interested in where we are.

On September 15th we are holding a fund raising night and are holding an auction and raffle to raise money for the school and Air Ambulance.

This is where we need your help. We are looking for prizes and donations to be auctioned at the fund raising night.

We are offering the Land Rovers as mobile advertising hoardings and for the small charge of £50 (every penny going to Africa and the Ambulance) we are happy to put a business sticker (maximum size 18”x6”) on the Land Rovers.

Could you please help and offer a prize or make a donation? If you can help then please call Steve on 01422 833440

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