Four motoring enthusiasts from Gloucestershire are taking on the 1,470 mile Screwball Rally from the UK to Switzerland and back in five days for Alzheimers Society.
Adam, Frazer, Gareth and Stephen are relying on their 26-year-old Volvo 940 estate to get them from the UK through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and home again between 21 – 26 September.
Adam Bennett, 49, a painter and decorator from Charfield, Wotton-Under-Edge in Gloucestershire says, “The most worrying part of the trip for me is lack of sleep as both Frazer & Stephen snore at unbelievable levels. They managed to keep half the campsite awake last year so we werent the most popular tent the following morning. The only other worry we all have is the cost of fuel this year!â€
Being their second attempt at this challenge in the gas guzzling 2.3 litre automatic Volvo, Adam says hes probably the biggest petrol head in the team as his dad did a bit of rally driving, “Well take it in turns to drive but there wont be any back seat driving because when were in the back the plan is to get some shut eye.â€
54-year-old bricklayer, Frazer Brown, from Cheltenham is doing this years rally for his mum and raising money for Alzheimers Society in her memory, “My mum, Gillian Barlow, was 79 when she died. She always encouraged her children to travel and in her later years took to cruising and circumnavigating the globe before she became too ill. She was devoted to her children and grandchildren. The reason we are doing the rally is to raise awareness of the condition… and were doing it for some free t-shirts!â€
Alzheimer’s Society, Community Fundraiser Zena Jones, welcomed Frazers decision to help raise money for the charity. She said: “We are hugely grateful to Frazer, Adam, Gareth and Stephen for the rally teams incredible efforts to reach a donation of £1,000. There are almost 6,000 people living with dementia in Gloucestershire and too many are facing it alone, without adequate support.
“We want everyone affected by dementia to know that whoever you are, whatever youre going through, you can turn to Alzheimers Society.
“Last year, our services were used over 4.2 million times and people tell us this support is a real lifeline. Thanks to generous fundraisers like the rally team, we can be there as a vital source of support and a powerful force for change for everyone affected by dementia.â€
The rules of the Screwball Rally state that each car must not have a value of more than £750 but teams are free to spend as much as they like on doing their vehicles up and getting them roadworthy for the entire journey.
Adam says “we all met through playing golf together around 18 years ago. We invited Gareth along as he likes a drink and owns a tent!†With Gareth being a former mechanic, the team spent an initial £2,000 on their Volvo the first year which included replacing the alternator and battery plus getting the car, which was originally burgundy, wrapped in blue and white stickers. This year their total brings them to £2,600.
The team is hoping to turn the Screwball Rally into an annual event and use the Volvo for many years to come. They expect to be driving for around eight hours a day and are looking forward to a few diversions to make the most of their sight-seeing on the continent.
They aim to raise £1,000 for Alzheimers Society to support people living with dementia: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/adam-frazer-gareth-seve
Found out how you can support Alzheimers Society by visiting alzheimers.org.uk