When Sanjay Sharma and friends, Kel and Johnny, set out from Lands Ends to John O’Groats in a tuk tuk they didn’t expect that it would be their support vehicle holding them back! The aim of their mammoth journey was to raise greatly appreciated funds for the Oncology Department at NUH’s City Hospital campus.
Kel’s father, Keith, was treated at the City Hospital before sadly passing away. The three friends wanted to say ‘thank you’ for the care and attention he received, and decided to tackle this epic challenge in his honour.
The trio’s adventure began on 14th June when they left Lands End to head up north in their motorised rickshaw. Apart from the occasional shortage of fuel, the tuk tuk’s journey was surprisingly smooth. In fact, it was the support car and trailer that held up proceedings! Some problems with the trailer emerged early on but were thankfully fixed and the journey could continue. But not for long. The battery of the support car then died and the three were stuck waiting for the AA!
By the end of day 1 the intrepid explorers had reached Cirencester, before travelling via Nottingham, Selby and York on day 2 on their way to County Durham, where they set up camp for the night. Day 3 proved a highlight of the journey as they reached the Scottish border before finally making it to John O’Groats four days after they set off – not bad for a vehicle with an average speed of 15mph!
The three men and their tuk tuk attracted a lot of public and media attention along the way, and raised over £2,000 for the Oncology Department – a fantastic result.
NUH Charity and the staff of the Oncology Department would like to express immense thanks to Sanjay, Kel and Johnny for their hard work, generosity, and what was a truly remarkable fundraising effort.
You can read more about the ups and downs of the journey here: http://landsendtojohnogroatsonatuktuk.blogspot.com/
