|
One Sunny Sunday afternoon in August Tools Vehicle Electrics received a call, a young man called Ben, couldn’t get his Land Rover Defender 110 to start. He had called several 24h callout mechanics & no-one was able / wanted to come out and help him.
We jumped in the van, and while Tony fixed the problem, Ben & I chatted about this and that…
The ‘that’ in the conversation proved very interesting…
Ben & his girlfriend Charlotte hadn’t just bought this Land Rover because they lived in the countryside, nor was it because Charlotte was training to be a horse dentist & the car would fit the job, or even because it would easily carry surfboards on top so that Ben could get to the coast to enjoy the surf. No, they had bought this Land Rover because they intend to drive to South Africa… YES you heard me correctly, South Africa.
They are planning to drive from Somerset to South Africa in 2011 to raise funds for the Noel Orphanage in Rwanda, which they will be stopping off at half way through their journey. So… that’s going to be a bit of distance, 20,000 miles in fact & the Land Rover is going to be their transport, their home & their safety.
Hmmmm we were sold, & Ben wasn’t even selling anything. We continued talking and Ben told us more about his plans to get the Land Rover ready for the trip…. He had certainly done his homework
That afternoon Tony fixed it, he bypassed the Immobiliser which was causing the non-start issue and we went our separate ways.
Move swiftly to the present day and things are exciting…. We met up with Ben and Charlotte and discussed what we could do for their trip & what they felt they needed.
The outcome… Tony and Ben are going to be working on the Land Rover in their spare time getting it ready, mechanically sound, safe & secure as possible for the trip ahead. We will also be helping by providing equipment & parts at incredibly low prices.
There has been talk of a safe box being welded somewhere so that their passports & money are safe at all times. Spotlights so that at night they can see what they are cooking as well as their surroundings and extra leisure batteries to take the strain. So no matter what, that engine will start in the morning! Plans are afoot to design some form of grill for the front and side windows for security, also where to attach the waffle boards depending on their weight & who is going to be lifting them on and off. As well as much more…
Over the next few months the guys will be working together, and Tony will be showing Ben how to repair, remedy or quick fix a large portion of possible scenarios that could occur en route so that if they end up ion a fix he’ll know what to do, and we will be at the end of the phone any time day or night to give advice.
Sounds good eh… well watch this space… we will keep you updated with the progress of the Land Rover, the trip & amusing moments in the run up to the big day!
In the meantime if you want to find out more about the Point Foundation, (the charity organisation which directly helps the Noel Orphanage as well as others in South Africa, then follow this link www.pointfoundation.co.uk. They help provide basic foods, clothing, medicines, bedding as well as running and funding sports programs for the children and donations are always gratefully received.
Please remember to share this blog with your friends, family & colleagues and we’ll be back with updates real soon.
 
|
