A Grand Start

A BIG thank you to all those who have helped us to reach our first milestone. One thousand pounds in donations to MapAction, which with Gift Aid amounts to almost £1,250. An excellent start - and we haven't even set off on the run yet.

In addition to these donations we have also received generous support from our corporate sponsors, who between them have covered our costs, provided the maps to cover our car, serviced and repaired our banger and arranged to install a GPS tracking device so that you can follow our progress. Please click on our sponsor's logos on the right of the screen to visit their websites.

With May now upon us it is only three weeks until we set off. Time to begin the big push. No, not the car - well hopefully not the car - we mean the big push to get to that next £1,000 and then beyond that to our ultimate target.

So, once again, thank you to all those who have already shown their support. Anyone else wishing to donate can do so via the JustGiving website or, if preferred, we are happy to accept cash or cheques made payable to MapAction.

Thank you.

We're The Sane Ones!

The more we find out about this event, the more we think that we might be the only normal ones taking part (although some may beg to differ!). There is a 'secret' message board where those who are taking part in the 'Run' can discuss their cars, problems, hopes, fears and money raising progress. Reading between the lines, most of those pouring out their hearts on there are totally potty!

Here are a few examples;

There is an entrant called G-Banger who has kitted out a battered white '93 Fiat Poperino as a Pope Mobile, complete with a 'wibbly-wobbly' Pope glued to the bonnet. His dashboard is apparently a mass of red lights (the sort which tell you that your car is on the verge of going to the great car park in the sky). G-Banger rejected the first car he bought, so that must have been in a really bad way!



Dick Dastardly, of Team Pitstop, have a pink Ford Probe (see picture) and matching sequined pink jump suits. They are raising money for 'The Children's Hospice Association Scotland' and 'St. Gemmas Hospice'. I'm pretty sure that Pink wasn't a factory produced colour for Ford Probes! Team Pitstop have formed a close relationship with the Ford Owners Clubs in England and France who have offered to provide an emergency breakdown service should they need it, and they probably will.

Finally we expose Team 'Comeonthecoo', also from Scotland. They have a Jeep Cherokee (the Renault Scenic they originally bought never even managing to make it off the vendors drive) which has been decorated with fur to resemble a cow, or should that be coo? Lets hope that it doesn't rain!

It's good that you can occasionally take part in events like this just to prove how sane and normal you actually are!

Why it all Matters!

Floods reported to be the worst for more than 50 years are currently affecting parts of Namibia, Zambia and Angola. More than 350,000 people are affected. Thousands of people already in camps following the initial flooding are having to move again as flood waters inundate those camps and pollute water supplies.

But where are the best areas for siting new camps that are less at risk from flooding? How far away are the nearest health facilities? How do the relief agencies access these vulnerable people?

A MapAction team was deployed to Namibia in late March 2009 to help to map humanitarian needs.

A typical example of the vauable map-based information that MapAction are providing can be seen by clicking here. This map was produced two days ago and is one of many hundreds that are made freely available to relief agencies to help them operate more effectively.

Taking part in the Bareclona Banger run will be fun and we hope that you enjoy our light-hearted updates. But alongside all of this, it is important not to lose sight of the cause that we are endeavouring to support.

Please help us with you donations - and for those who have already done so, may we say a big THANK YOU on behalf of our friends at MapAction.

Getting it Mapped - Part 2

Success! I think we have cracked it.

The spray adhesive definitely seems to be the answer in terms of attaching the maps to the car bodywork. Then a few coats of clear spray-on lacquer provides that added protection from the elements without causing any discolouration to the maps or having any adverse effect on the adhesive.

The sample area even stood up to some extremely harsh "wet weather simulations" in the form of a Karcher high-pressure washer at full belt with the nozzle held just inches from the car.

So, with our in-depth testing now complete, it is back to our friendly supplier to see whether the offer of a BMW-sized roll of maps is still available.

In the meantime, thanks go to Andy at Cross & Watson (Southport) Ltd for his valuable advice. If you find yourself in need of some car bodywork repairs and you feel the urge to have the affected area covered with paper maps, then Andy is your man. Does this mean he can now call himself a CARtographer?