Five countries in five days in cars worth less than £2,000. That’s the challenge three Worthing men have set local petrolheads – and to raise thousands of pounds for local hospice, St Barnabas House.
This is the third year that the friends, Alan Nye, Paul Lynch and Jay Harvey have organised their Hospice Roadtrip, raising over £20,000 along the way. The first trip was organised in memory of Jay’s wife, Alison, who tragically died at the very young age of just 29 years having spent her last days being cared for at St Barnabas House. The three friends share a love of cars and so decided to undertake this epic journey passing through England, France, Holland and Belgium, finishing at the Nürburgring in Germany where they put the cars through their paces on the world-famous racetrack before returning home.
The second year saw a massive increase in support with eight teams of two taking part in the Hospice Roadtrip, including a special Spirit FM team who broadcast progress reports along the way to local listeners back home.
This year, Spirit FM is once again entering a team and will be providing regular updates throughout the five day journey. There are nine teams involved all revving up to go. Worthing Mayor, Councillor Noel Atkins and MP Tim Loughton will wave the Roadtrippers off on Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May 2010 from St Barnabas House in Columbia Drive, Worthing.
Said Alan, “We are hoping to smash last year’s total of £17,000 and this year the money we raise will be going to the Building a Dream appeal to help build the brand new St Barnabas less than a mile away from the current site. We have visited the new site and seen the plans and it’s going to be an amazing building. The new hospice will be much bigger with individual rooms for patients, all with en suite facilities. The Day Hospice will be able to welcome more patients with better facilities for consultations, complementary therapies, art and many other activities. The new site is over twice the size of the current one and the gardens are going to be beautiful. There will be individual gardens for the patients making it possible for them to enjoy the outdoors – the nurses will even be able to take the beds outside if patients wish. And visiting relatives will be able to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the wildflower meadow, lavender maze and natural pond in the new grounds. We really hope that everyone will get behind us and support this fantastic cause.”
It’s not too late to support the Hospice Roadtrip. Visit www.hospiceroadtrip.co.uk to donate and to help St Barnabas realise their dream of building a brand new hospice
