Wacky Race Chennai to Goa
Last Year on the 1st June, a group of incredible people based in Steyning mainly, left West Sussex to drive on the mad roads of Maharashtra to support our local domestic abuse charity, Safe in Sussex hoping for an adventure and an experience that would enhance their lives. The group of 7 ladies and a lovely gent took on the rickshaw challenge, we drove the Deccan Plateau for a total of 1300 kms from Goa via Pune to Bombay. It was an amazing journey and team building experience so much so that the team want to do something else but this time on 4 wheels not 3. It was a little hairy in places driving on the Indian highways with the trucks and the buses in an overgrown tin can powered by a hair drier. What an experience! We all took the challenge to raise funds for the charity of which I am patron, Safe In Sussex, which deals with Domestic Abuse in West Sussex
We raised the grand total just short of £26,000, which was a significant amount and what is more, all the participants self funded, so every penny went to the charity. Safe in Sussex were able to refurbish the bathrooms in one of the refuges to create a more pleasant environment for women and their children in extreme circumstances.
Amazingly most wanted another adventure and our merry band of intrepid adventurers want to do something else. So next year in February we are undertaking a car rally, from Chennai which is on the East Coast of India on the Bay of Bengal, around the tip of India and up to Panjim In Goa on the Arabian Sea, a journey of 2500kms. What’s even better our numbers are increasing and have grown from 4 teams to 7 with more still to confirm.
Again we will fund raise for Safe in Sussex but we have added the Indian NGO Maher which does the same work with destitute women and children. Our goal is to try and raise enough to buy sufficient building materials to build a new refuge building in Andhra Pradesh and a building refurbishment here to create a play space for children in one of the refuges.
If you would like to be involved or sponsor us, or come to one of our other fundraising events in the run up to the challenge please get in touch: T: 07973 224220 E: Helen@sakala.co.uk
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