Pre-Trip journal February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 October - December 2003 July - October 2003 April - July 2003

February 2004

Hmmm into overdrive we go then.

We all worked out the last remaining days of our jobs before finding ourselves on the 4th of Feb with our last remaining 10 days being heavily overbooked.
A frenetic pace of 12 hour days was immediately set as we struggled to get everything done, from getting the visas for Chad and Nigeria and replacing our nearly full passports with brand new whopping 40 page beauties to be stamped into extinction on the variety of borders and checkpoints we will encounter.
A late joyous surprise was the loaning of two Satellite phones for our use from NSSL Satcom solutions, combined with a half days training on how to use them it all added up to an all important link with the uk.
We spent another day up in Peterborough with Footloose working through both vehicles ensuring we are up to date with the mechanics and recovery procedures as well as getting advice on off-road driving. A priceless last chance for us to ask a myriad of questions of the guys who know all there is to know about these kinds of ventures. When we finally drove off it was with a supportive wave from Paul, Chris and Kevin (no doubt chuckling at our collective incompetence), cheers guys.
The rest of the days seemed to blur together with the high emotion of running from embassy to camping store to relatives and girlfriends (the last two groups being long-suffering and wonderfully supportive given that we are leaving them for 5 months, lots of presents to be bought there I think.)
Suddenly we found ourselves on Sunday 15th (D-Day minus 1) with the entire contents of the two vehicles laid out on the floor of the Carroll Marx Hall in Huntley Street with the task of packing it in some sensible way. 10 hours later the job seemed to be done and all of a sudden we were on the brink of departure.
One sleepless night later it was upon us and we converged on Huntley Street where Jon Ross had been baby-sitting the two vehicles for the last couple of weeks. Thanks to the packing efforts of the previous day we only had to take care of the necessary last few jobs, pick up what we had forgotten and get going.
So having christened the two vehicles - 'Bert' (with cooking equipment and supplies) and 'Ernie' (with the spares and tools), we drove off to the cheers and waves of family and friends (it was almost like they were glad to see us go….)

AND SO IT BEGINS………

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January 2004

Well, now the marker of Christmas has come and gone and we have entered a new year it is becoming very apparent how quickly the time is flying and quite how much needs to be done before we get to Feb. 16th (D-Day for Mobile medics).
Having said that January has been a superb month and by the time we hit Feb. 1st we had achieved a huge amount.

As regards the vehicles they have come on leaps and bounds. The Roll cages have been delivered and fitted as well as the snorkels, roof top tents and tyres. We decided on the BF Goodrich All-Terrain tyre as supplied to us by Southern Tyres, we went for two spares per vehicle and half a dozen inner- tubes to get us through the more thorny parts of Africa. As regards storage we took the advice of the guys at Footloose and had some secure, lockable t-boxes bolted to the floor of both vehicles as well as a brace of plastic wolf boxes that are strapped securely into place. The vehicles have been differentiated into a support vehicle and a living vehicle. The former taking the bulk of the spares, tools and recovery kit and the latter holding the cooking kit, supplies and personal effects.
Amongst the huge variety of equipment we have opted for a water purification unit, air compressor (both of which run off our dual battery system), GPS (Garmin 3 plus) and Satellite phone (which we are yet to acquire).
Suffice it to say the guys at Footloose have been working hard with the limited funds we have been able to supply and have come up trumps with the equipment and advice. We cannot recommend their services enough to those attempting a similar project.

The fundraising side of things has also taken a turn for the better with support growing through friends, family and the corporate sector. This has taken us to within reach of our target £50, 000. One of the biggest boosts came from the funds raised at the charity ball held at the end of the month.
This went off on the 31st of Jan and was attended by a healthy 160 guests made up of friends, family and associates. The evening was a great success with the caterers putting on a fine spread and it all being helped down with a plentiful supply of wine generously donated by Mark's and Spencer's (thankyouthankyouthankyou). This put everybody in the right frame of mind for the auction which included great pieces such as a Rugby shirt signed by Lawrence Dallaglio, Tim Henman's tennis racquet, signed artwork, a private flight and enough booze to subdue an army. The end result was a great party and a fantastic £5,000 being raised for the cause. Many, many thanks to everyone that was there as well as everyone who helped see it come together.
Other than this we have continued to battle bureaucracy and get the requisite mountain of paperwork to get the vehicles and ourselves across Africa and allow the vehicles to be kept by the health posts. Never a particularly easy or inspiring job but an important one nonetheless.
All this and a full time job in the NHS to boot, we are all mastering the art of sleeping whilst walking from one job to the next, if only there were another hour or two in each day……..

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December 2003

Surely not, it can't be the end of December already!

Only 6 weeks to go before the planned departure date and we are gathering momentum with each day that passes.

When we started planning this trip approximately 18 months ago we had the benefit of what we thought was a long time to get everything ready, we now realise that the jobs seem to increase exponentially with time spent doing them. At least this appears to be similar to other groups of people who have done trips like this before whom have been giving us their invaluable advice.

Right then, the news:

Having turned the corner of Christmas we are pleased to say that everything seems to be still on track. The vehicles are still having the roll cages fitted but are otherwise more or less complete - we are due to spend a couple of days going over the mechanics and familiarising ourselves with the procedures in case of breakdown etc in early feb.

We had a fascinating meeting with Dr Veronica Moss, the Chief Executive of the International branch of Mildmay - a superb charity that has experience in setting up health posts and hospitals in Africa and establishing education programmes as well as a centre in the UK specialising in caring for people infected with HIV. She provided an invaluable insight into the kind of difficultie

s and features that we can expect as well as kindly allowing us to visit a couple of their centres in Uganda.
The next most pressing event is the Charity Ball that is being held on the 31st Jan in the old medical school library off the Tottenham Court Road. It promises to be a great event with a good mix of family and friends old and new. For tickets please contact us through the website.

Otherwise we continue to raise funds through sponsored events such as Duncan's uncle doing a sponsored row, which raised a fantastic amount and many other generous donations from contacts, friends and families. At this rate we are on target to raise the full £50,000.

Now the planning turns its full focus to ensuring we have the best information for the route as well as the necessary paperwork to get us from one country to the next, no small task but one were we hope our planning and conversing with loads of people who have done this before pays off.
It is now the final push to get everything done in time, what a nuisance to be in full time occupation as well!

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October - December 2003

Since the last time of writing I am pleased to report that we have made some giant leaps forward.
Our latest visit up to Peterborough to our friends at Footloose proved very exciting indeed as our two Landrovers have now had their engines tuned to within an inch of their lives as well as new shocks and the dual battery system fitted. They have now also fitted the rooftop racks, tents and awnings as well as getting going on the all important roll cages, beyond this it is a matter of the interior fittings: storage containers, safe boxes etc and they will be ready to be put through their paces off-road for some vital testing (of both man and machine!).

All this has been made possible by a marked increase in the sponsorship coming in, in particular one very generous private donor has given us all a real boost and taken us nicely over the half way mark. We still have a significant way to go however and must raise at least another £25,000 to see us clear, to this end we have been heavily using any and all contacts as well applying for corporate sponsorship.

We are also organising a fantastic charity ball to be held on the 31st January that is already being hailed as the society event of the year (ok, maybe a bit of artistic licence with that bit). It should prove to be great fun and a good way to raise a bit more for the cause. There are still a few tickets left so contact us if you would like to join us for the big night.

We have also made some good contacts with other organisations that will hopefully prove a valuable ally in providing some know-how in the field of setting up education programmes and health posts, more information to come as we have it but it all looks promising.

Now we have really got the ball rolling it has become clear that there is real potential in this project and we are now aiming to see this project develop and act as the forerunner of a brilliant charity that can combine the expertise of UK based medics with local African knowledge to make a lasting difference to the Globally devastating AIDS epidemic and rural healthcare deficiencies.

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July - October 2003

Our First Mobilmedics fundraising event was a sponsored abseil off the maternitiy tower at Ipswich Hospital on the 5th of July 2003. Six doctors dressed in surgical scrubs abseiled down the 300ft building as part of a major fundraising event which happens each year. The day was a great success with just under £1000 being raised towards the project. Many thanks to all who took part and those who sponsored them.

This has all helped fund the mechanical servicing and upgrade of the two Landrovers that is nearing completion at the Footloose workshops in Peterborough. The next stage is to install the variety of extras that will enable the vehicles to act as effective mobile health posts in the rugged terrain as well as getting us out there.

Other recent developments include getting the ability for those who wish to donate to the project to do so tax-efficiently through Gift Aid scheme for charities.

As well as fundraising events and seeking corporate/independant sponsorship we have been attempting to get as much media publicity as possible to highlight the cause and raise awareness of the project. We recently had an article published in the East Anglian Times about the project and we can only hope that this will help to bring in further interest. Keep your eyes peeled for more!

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April - July 2003

After two or three years thinking about and making vague plans to undertake a project like this the four of us made the decision to go following a trip to Egypt in late 2002. During the last few months of 2002 we made contact with a variety of different organizations working in southern Africa. We were seeking for projects that required the vehicles we were to provide and the possible options ranged from emergency healthcare and famine relief through to long-term projects focused on sustainable development among rural communities.

The work being done by Hope for Africa (HFA) stood out both in terms of the incredible success of their various initiatives and the fact that this was a locally-run charity, set up and developed by people living in the communities that need help. Over the last few months we have been in contact with Hendrick Mahlangu, Director of HFA to determine which of the projects, focused on medical care would benefit from the provision of two vehicles. HFA has been meeting many of the basic healthcare needs of two areas, one in southern Malawi and one in southern Mozambique through the development of small Health-posts. Two of the biggest challenges faced by these Health-posts are the care of people suffering from HIV/AIDS and the treatment of those with diseases a consequence of malnutrition. These Health-posts are in desperate need of vehicles and it is there we shall be taking them.

Following a series of informal planning meeting in a variety of London pubs in early 2003, the trip has begun to take shape. This website has been kindly set up by Matthew Tate at Wireless Logic. Our two vehicles Landrover 200 TDi's were both brought in mid-April and are currently at Footloose 4x4 in the early stages of a extensive transformation to meet to needs of the Health-posts in Africa and to cope with the journey there. We are now searching for sponsors for the project, donations and planning fundraising events.

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