19 CHARIDEE MATE...

The original reason for attempting this trip was to make some memories.  No one knows what is around the corner; why wait to do something?  It will be a massive undertaking, both in terms of preparation and actual driving, which got me thinking: Should we try to raise a few quid for charity?  Surely people would sponsor a group of idiots driving tiny city cars from Liverpool to the Med and back?

There are lots of charities that are close to our hearts, but one stands out.  

During lockdown, we grouped together to keep ourselves entertained during the endless weekends of being kept indoors.  We did Saturday Night Quizzes with some of the people I knew.  Initially, there were strangers on the quiz.  Still, it wasn't long before we all became really good friends, bonding over a love of a bevvy and quiz rounds with names such as 'Porn or Polish' and 'Service Station or Cheese'.

One of these people was Ellis.  We met through work; I didn't realise he wasn't well back then as he just got on with his job, and nothing could stop him.  It turns out that he had cystic fibrosis.  This degenerative disease affects the lungs and digestive system, slowly damaging them. 

After waiting a long time, he was lucky enough to get a double lung transplant, which gave him a better quality of life.  Despite this painful procedure and the best care from Sarah, his wife, Ellis, tragically died not so long ago, and it knocked us all for 6.  

So we would like to do something to give someone a bit more life, as I wouldn't swap the time we had with Ellis for anything.  With this in mind, we will be raising money for the New Start unit, which is based at Wythenshawe Hospital.  It is one of only five Heart and Lung Transplant centres in the UK, covering the whole of the North West of England.  It undertakes about 60 transplants per annum and was the place that looked after Ellis so well.

I've been thinking of ways to engage people to help them put their hands in their pockets, and I came up with asking for a penny a mile; I mean, everyone can afford a penny, right?  The thing is, we are doing a lot of miles, so I've added some suggested donation amounts:

The Rally - Namur to Monaco - £7.50

The Pool To The Med - Liverpool to Monaco - £12

The Full Pull - Liverpool to Monaco to Liverpool - £24

This is just the first pass, so let's see what the rest of the gang says.