February26th
Jon, as the local interest for the Lancashire Telegraph, had his story featured last week. Photographer who came down to snap us asked if she could come too. I explained that she’d be spending 3 weeks in the back of Sheila with 5 stinking men, and she had a bit of a rethink. Good picture though!
Click to enlarge
February25th
Click to read the article
Nice of Manchester Mental Health & Social Care Trust to again feature us in “Staff News”, people read it and ask me stuff about the trip on corridors! Lots of donations to Breakthrough too, so I thank all my lovely colleagues for that.
February17th
It was lovely to open our emails this morning and find a message of support for our Breakthrough Breast Cancer fundraising from Sir David Jason OBE. As well as being one of the country’s foremost BAFTA-winning actors and the star of British TV classics like Only Fools And Horses and Frost, Sir David, like our team, is a man who’s life was changed by female breast cancer. In 1995, Sir David’s long term partner Myfanwy Talog died of breast cancer just 20 days from her 51st birthday, having been nursed through the final stages of her illness by Sir David himself.
We offer our sincere thanks to Sir David for taking the time to give us this message of support:
“Breakthrough Breast Cancer will benefit enormously from the contribution Team Mongolia Five are making towards their fundraising efforts. I wish the team every success with their race and that, through their donation, the charity will go on to research and improve the lives of those people affected by this life-changing illness. Please give them your support – you know it makes sense!”
To donate to Breakthrough, please use the JustGiving badge on the front page of our website or click here
February7th
Thanks very much to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (and in particular Adele and Kris for sorting the whole thing out!) for very kindly agreeing to store Sheila at their Ramsbottom station – a major headache averted! Please make sure she’s parked round the back lads – we don’t want to come round and find she’s been used for training 
February6th
Great day today, as we set off to Highworth near Swindon to pick our ambulance up. Named ‘Sheila’ by our first £100 donator to Breakthrough Breast Cancer, she’s a beautiful Renault Master 7 seat patient transport vehicle with a wheelchair lift – perfect to be put into long and active service in places of real need by charities in Mongolia, and so well looked after that she’s in need of very little work to prepare her for her epic journey ahead.
Sheila has been donated to us by Reliance Care Services of Bristol who provide cost effective, total transport solutions as required by NHS Trusts, Local Authorities and Probation Areas for their patients, residents and offenders. Their strategic priority is to assist these partners in providing an efficient and effective care and treatment service. We can only offer our enormous and heartfelt thanks for their astonishing generosity, and in particular their operations deparment’s Paul Wood and John Traas who’ve been magnificent in their help in sorting everything out. It was great to meet you guys (and Paul’s dad!), and we were hugely touched by your enthusiasm for what we’re doing. We won’t let you down.
Ben signs up as official Sheila owner!
Ourselves, John and Paul from Reliance in front of Sheila.
Sheila on her first journey as the Mongolia Five steed!
