Dear Friends & Supporters,

News hot off the wire, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office have upgraded Mauritania to their highest warning level – this essentially puts the kybosh on driving through the Country and therefore might make our Hadleigh-Dakar Challenge impossible at this time.   As preparation has begun to hit fever-pitch, you can imagine that we are somewhat disappointed (polite way of describing how we feel). 

Does the challenge change to a ‘by any means’?  And do we try and get a shipping line to help us hop round Mauritania?  Certainly the alternative route of Algeria, Libya, Niger and Mali seems implausible at the moment.   Do we delay?  Do we set a different but comparable challenge? 

Avoiding Mauritania by getting shipped from Morocco to Senegal has proved too costly.  We are also very aware that we were flying the Scout Group’s and Scouting’s colours (and thereby their reputation).   All these factors have meant that we have come to the conclusion that we cannot take on this Challenge at this time.   You will all realise this is very disappointing after the months of preparation and the support you have all given us.  We will be looking at running at a later date (if political temperature changes) or looking for another challenge we can take on.

We therefore have made provision for returning sponsor money and/or the Teddy to the Sahara.  We would like to return monies as soon as practical, could you therefore let us know as soon as possible if:

  1. You would like to leave your sponsorship with Hadleigh Sea Scouts International Fund  (and, if you’d signed up for a Teddy, we’ll send you him/her)
  2. You would prefer your sponsorship returned.

Please do not hesitate to select the 2nd option, as we feel that the agreement was very much us delivering our best on the journey to Dakar and it means we can ask again when we find a fresh Challenge to take on.

James Pitcher & Jonathan Moore
Hadleigh-Dakar Challenge
Hadleigh Sea Scouts
Tel: 07 545 545 744
  ’Are you Mad?‘ seems to be the first response to the challenge the Hadleigh Adventurers (James Pitcher, Scout Leader and Jonathan Moore, Chairperson, Hadleigh Sea Scout Group) have taken on to drive from Hadleigh, Suffolk to Dakar in Senegal in Africa. We are now a fully signed team for the charity car expedition called the The Plymouth-Banjul Challenge
  So, timeline January 8th 2010, we'll be on our start line at Hadleigh Scout HQ in (we hope) a Left Hand Vehicle that we have acquired for less than £100. We then face a grueling 4000 miles across the continent in winter conditions (watch out Pyrenees!). We leave Gibralter for the Spanish enclave of Cueta before opening up the throttle for Africa proper. Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and then Senegal (Dakar) major challenges include off-road desert driving, en route vehicle repairs and patch ups, border crossings (each, we are told, averaging over 5 hours of intense negotiation with guards using 3 or 4 languages, signing and baksheesh!).

From Dakar we drive to the charity's HQ in Banjul, Gambia (more border crossings!). After arrival, the vehicle gets auctioned and the money raised goes to vital development work in the area. We have the additional target of donating all our kit and providing project support work to a local Scout Group in the Gambia.

 
 

So - how can you get involved?

1. Wish us good luck! Log your greetings on this site and, if interested, sign up for our ScoutBlog which we will post once we get going.

2. Help us raise funds for our charitable cause: Hadleigh Sea Scouts' International Fund ( a fund that we use to raise money to support Scouting in other countries (such as the Gambian Scout Group) and to give our own Scouts experience of international scouting - including Jamborees, Work experience at foreign Scout camps etc)

You can support us by:

  • Attending or organising an event
  • Funding vital pieces of equipment - all that survive the journey will be donated to the local Scout Group in Gambia.
  • Sending a Scout Teddy to Africa - Dip into your pocket and put a handful of coins to buy a special (limited edition) Hadleigh Adventurers' Scout Bear. For a minimum donation of £10 you will name and support a 12cm Teddy to join us on the adventure (through thick and thin). Once he/she has completed the adventure with us, he/she will be sent to you directly from Gambia (another adventure for your loved one!). On return, he/she will be able to whisper you all the sites and adventures seen and experienced!
  • Become a Baksheesh Buddy If an experienced traveller, you may like to help us with the critical matter of the wherewithal to persuade the Border guards to let us through.


3. Donate a Left Hand Drive Vehicle or Equipment Be a star.

4. Corporate Support: We'd love to talk to any company wanting to help/support/involve themselves with this challenge. Please contact Jonathan by email jonathan.moore@savo.co.uk or phone 07 545 545 744 to talk. We'll have great space on the Vehicle, on flags, on website, on overalls etc etc for those offering help!

Thanks for your support

Fingers crossed (and other bits)

James & Jonathan