As most of you will know, three UKGSers, Slimbo, Tony and Myself, left Blighty on the 18th Dec 2004 and drove a vintage series 3 land rover a bit over 4500 miles to its final destination in the Gambia.
This was done as part of the
Plymouth-Banjul Challenge , and I’m not going to bore you with information on why and how, it’s all there for you to look at, as is Slimbo’s fine write up of our trip (work in progress) that you can find HERE
All the pics can be found at http://www.fanum.smugmug.com/ .
Anyway, the money’s still coming in for from that one, but we succeeded, we achieved what we set out to do;
And I should say again that the dates on the camera were wriong
Three Tossers set out across the desert;
Generously sponsored by many fine individuals and some great companies;
And we overcame trials and hardships, at one stage becoming a recovery bus driving people and kit out of the clutches of death in the middle of the Sahara desert;
(hmm, ok, it wasn’t THAT bad but there were some challenges )
Matron’s TENS equipment, Chris That Fat Twat’s drugs and Grumpy Lee’s Surgical appliances being donated at the Royal Victoria Training Hospital hospital;
Loads of footie kit donated by Slimbo’s son’s club, delivered to St Francis Basic Cycle School, Kunkujang mariama, Near Banjul
And finally, two Land Rovers donated to very very good homes, where they’re saving lives and helping the community right now;
Ok, I hear you shout, that’s old hat, why the fekk are you telling us this???
Well, we’re doing it again !
But different….bigger, better, higher levels of stupidity and mayhem!
This time though I want to do it on two wheels…….
GS’s would be way too simple and easy though, that’s what they’re designed for for a start, and for another thing, the vehicles get donated or auctioned at the end of it….
SO my proposal is this…….
We’ll do it on Honda C90’s…
12 of them in fact, plus two spares .
Yep, I’m serious, I want 12 riders to accompany me across Europe, down through Morocco, across Mauritania and the Sahara desert, down through Senegal and across The Gambia to their final destination.
The 12 on bikes will be supplemented by two drivers who will pilot the support vehicles- I envisage them all swapping around regularly so that everyone gets to ride and drive regularly.
I’ve been talking about this behind the scenes since we came back, sounding people out and getting the core of a team together, but I need way way more help….I know that even if I now have a list of people, there will inevitably be drop-outs because of money, time off work etc, and although this is a hugely satisfying, amazing and worthwhile trip, it’s still a big commitment that enthusiasm alone sometimes won’t be enough to fulfill.
There’s lots more happening, which I’ll talk about soon….we have already got one excellent vehicle donated and we’re looking for another, we have a potential donation of 6 or possibly 8 fully maintained C90’s, we have helmets, we have all sorts of leads and contacts already being explored.
I also have a shopping list of other things which I’d like to throw open to you all……
1) I want more people who would like to do this trip……..I want a full 14 person list plus spares in case of drop-outs. (I’m also going to be recruiting two Advriders if I can)
2) And high on the list of priorities……Media coverage- Imagine the scene, 12 riders on c90’s, clad in orange jump-suits (I’ll come to that later…..it’s this image I have in my mind )…That’s surely got the potential to attract a film crew or TV prog??....Anyone have any contacts in the TV world??
3) More C90’s……We may have 6, there’s the potential of 8, but I want 14……and loads of spares……..do you have one? Do you know any companies or organizations who might be getting rid of any????
4) Tyres…..We’re going to fit knobblies from Kids MX bikes on the scoots…..so we need 30 front and 30 rear MX tyres in the right sizes…..anyone know a top bod from a tyre firm/importer etc etc???
5) Kit…….I do have this image of all of us riding across the desert in similar lids, wearing Orange overalls…….purely for the image and its marketability (thus fundraising potential)……so I need 14 sets of kit- either armoured suits or body armour and tough overalls that could be worn over the top……
6) Fuel….obviously, we’ll need shitloads of fuel….does anyone have any contacts in any fuel companies that might be able to sort us out in some way?? International fuel cards, donations etc???
7) Pizza boxes…….It strikes me that a large pizza company might well pay a lot of money IF we get on TV if we have their Pizza delivery boxes on the backs of the scoots……..that sort of exposure has got to be worth a lot of money…anyone know anyone high up in a Pizza chain??
8) A second support vehicle……..I’ve got one good lead which I’m following up, but I really need a second support vehicle…..LHD if poss, preferably a Landy , Merc van, Unimog or similar…..
9) We need the Merc van converting to LHD…..anyone know of a Merc dealership, workshop, tech college or anyone who might be able to do this?? For Free???? (well, obviously they’ll get full coverage and sponsors logos etc)
10) If we get a Landy, that’ll need converting too…..anyone friendly with a L.R dealership??
11) Food and medical supplies……We were spoilt by Chris That Fat Twat this year, who very kindly supplied us with self heating scram and a bunch of medical supplies…..14 people is a different ball game though- so we’ll need loads and loads of food and some pretty hefty and serious first aid kits…..anyone in wholesale, know anyone in the food industry or medical supplies???
12) Everything else…I’ve only just covered the main points, there are loads of other things we could do with…….so any ideas???
So, there we go, that’s the idea!
If you really fancy doing the trip, please thnk about it, then think about it some more….then check with your significant other, and check with work…….Several people who’ve already said they’re coming are having to take unpaid leave- I was lucky this year but for next year, I’ll be taking at least two weeks unpaid…..a big cost, but one that I know is worth it, having completed one trip already.
If you still fancy it, then have another final think then get in contact.
Same for any help…….if you might be able to help with any of the list above, please have a think then ask around a bit…….and if it turns out what you thought was feasible, then get in contact.
Finally, I’m currently writing proposals and statements in order to register ‘UKGSER Challenge’ as a charity…….I’m looking for some trustees (though I do have a couple in mind) …this is because last year we found that companies quite rightly would have preferred to donate to a registered charity for all sorts of reasons, not least tax, and we’ve already been asked about our charitable status this year with regards to vehicle donations…….So if anyone has any experience of setting a charity up, or who might be willing to lend us accountancy skills, again, please get in contact.
(this is why my pm box has been full so often.... )
Regards
Bill, Toubab on a scooter.
What do you mean it’s a mad idea….this is the perfect vehicle for 14 tossers to ride across Africa on
This was done as part of the
Plymouth-Banjul Challenge , and I’m not going to bore you with information on why and how, it’s all there for you to look at, as is Slimbo’s fine write up of our trip (work in progress) that you can find HERE
All the pics can be found at http://www.fanum.smugmug.com/ .
Anyway, the money’s still coming in for from that one, but we succeeded, we achieved what we set out to do;
And I should say again that the dates on the camera were wriong
Three Tossers set out across the desert;
Generously sponsored by many fine individuals and some great companies;
And we overcame trials and hardships, at one stage becoming a recovery bus driving people and kit out of the clutches of death in the middle of the Sahara desert;
(hmm, ok, it wasn’t THAT bad but there were some challenges
)Matron’s TENS equipment, Chris That Fat Twat’s drugs and Grumpy Lee’s Surgical appliances being donated at the Royal Victoria Training Hospital hospital;
Loads of footie kit donated by Slimbo’s son’s club, delivered to St Francis Basic Cycle School, Kunkujang mariama, Near Banjul
And finally, two Land Rovers donated to very very good homes, where they’re saving lives and helping the community right now;
Ok, I hear you shout, that’s old hat, why the fekk are you telling us this???
Well, we’re doing it again !
But different….bigger, better, higher levels of stupidity and mayhem!
This time though I want to do it on two wheels…….
GS’s would be way too simple and easy though, that’s what they’re designed for for a start, and for another thing, the vehicles get donated or auctioned at the end of it….
SO my proposal is this…….
We’ll do it on Honda C90’s…
12 of them in fact, plus two spares .
Yep, I’m serious, I want 12 riders to accompany me across Europe, down through Morocco, across Mauritania and the Sahara desert, down through Senegal and across The Gambia to their final destination.
The 12 on bikes will be supplemented by two drivers who will pilot the support vehicles- I envisage them all swapping around regularly so that everyone gets to ride and drive regularly.
I’ve been talking about this behind the scenes since we came back, sounding people out and getting the core of a team together, but I need way way more help….I know that even if I now have a list of people, there will inevitably be drop-outs because of money, time off work etc, and although this is a hugely satisfying, amazing and worthwhile trip, it’s still a big commitment that enthusiasm alone sometimes won’t be enough to fulfill.
There’s lots more happening, which I’ll talk about soon….we have already got one excellent vehicle donated and we’re looking for another, we have a potential donation of 6 or possibly 8 fully maintained C90’s, we have helmets, we have all sorts of leads and contacts already being explored.
I also have a shopping list of other things which I’d like to throw open to you all……
1) I want more people who would like to do this trip……..I want a full 14 person list plus spares in case of drop-outs. (I’m also going to be recruiting two Advriders if I can)
2) And high on the list of priorities……Media coverage- Imagine the scene, 12 riders on c90’s, clad in orange jump-suits (I’ll come to that later…..it’s this image I have in my mind
)…That’s surely got the potential to attract a film crew or TV prog??....Anyone have any contacts in the TV world??3) More C90’s……We may have 6, there’s the potential of 8, but I want 14……and loads of spares……..do you have one? Do you know any companies or organizations who might be getting rid of any????
4) Tyres…..We’re going to fit knobblies from Kids MX bikes on the scoots…..so we need 30 front and 30 rear MX tyres in the right sizes…..anyone know a top bod from a tyre firm/importer etc etc???
5) Kit…….I do have this image of all of us riding across the desert in similar lids, wearing Orange overalls…….purely for the image and its marketability (thus fundraising potential)……so I need 14 sets of kit- either armoured suits or body armour and tough overalls that could be worn over the top……
6) Fuel….obviously, we’ll need shitloads of fuel….does anyone have any contacts in any fuel companies that might be able to sort us out in some way?? International fuel cards, donations etc???
7) Pizza boxes…….It strikes me that a large pizza company might well pay a lot of money IF we get on TV if we have their Pizza delivery boxes on the backs of the scoots……..that sort of exposure has got to be worth a lot of money…anyone know anyone high up in a Pizza chain??
8) A second support vehicle……..I’ve got one good lead which I’m following up, but I really need a second support vehicle…..LHD if poss, preferably a Landy , Merc van, Unimog or similar…..
9) We need the Merc van converting to LHD…..anyone know of a Merc dealership, workshop, tech college or anyone who might be able to do this?? For Free???? (well, obviously they’ll get full coverage and sponsors logos etc)
10) If we get a Landy, that’ll need converting too…..anyone friendly with a L.R dealership??
11) Food and medical supplies……We were spoilt by Chris That Fat Twat this year, who very kindly supplied us with self heating scram and a bunch of medical supplies…..14 people is a different ball game though- so we’ll need loads and loads of food and some pretty hefty and serious first aid kits…..anyone in wholesale, know anyone in the food industry or medical supplies???
12) Everything else…I’ve only just covered the main points, there are loads of other things we could do with…….so any ideas???
So, there we go, that’s the idea!
If you really fancy doing the trip, please thnk about it, then think about it some more….then check with your significant other, and check with work…….Several people who’ve already said they’re coming are having to take unpaid leave- I was lucky this year but for next year, I’ll be taking at least two weeks unpaid…..a big cost, but one that I know is worth it, having completed one trip already.
If you still fancy it, then have another final think then get in contact.
Same for any help…….if you might be able to help with any of the list above, please have a think then ask around a bit…….and if it turns out what you thought was feasible, then get in contact.
Finally, I’m currently writing proposals and statements in order to register ‘UKGSER Challenge’ as a charity…….I’m looking for some trustees (though I do have a couple in mind) …this is because last year we found that companies quite rightly would have preferred to donate to a registered charity for all sorts of reasons, not least tax, and we’ve already been asked about our charitable status this year with regards to vehicle donations…….So if anyone has any experience of setting a charity up, or who might be willing to lend us accountancy skills, again, please get in contact.
(this is why my pm box has been full so often....
)Regards
Bill, Toubab on a scooter.
What do you mean it’s a mad idea….this is the perfect vehicle for 14 tossers to ride across Africa on
Well done and thanks guys...it's gona be a good'un 
