From London to Lisbon, for Rowans Hospice Charity.

In April, Father and Son team, Geoff and Nick Kingstone, took part in an epic challenge – to drive from London to Lisbon in a Ford KA as part of the Two Ball Rally – to raise funds for Rowans Hospice Charity, in memory of their beloved Emma who was supported at the Rowans Hospice before sadly passing away. We had the pleasure of meeting Geoff and hearing how the challenge went.

The route started in Essex before travelling for five days across Europe to finish in Braga, Lisbon. Geoff described how each day offered three different route options, and they decided to take the scenic route as much as possible to really enjoy the experience whilst having some fun. “The route from Spain into Portugal, over the top of the Andes, was especially special and the scenery was breath-taking.”

There were many teams taking part in the Two Ball Rally and it was a really fun adventure as each day the teams had tasks to complete – from Car Karaoke, to finding a super car – each task would win the team points. Geoff and Nick were delighted to come second overall, being pipped to the top spot by 5 points! A real key highlight for the pair was getting 84% of the votes to win ‘The Best Banger’ award which was voted for by the other teams. Geoff told us that people were really moved by the picture of Emma on the front of the vehicle.

To win the award, they had to decorate the car using items found locally throughout the trip. Geoff and Nick decided to decorate the car with as many Christmas items as they could find, as Emma loved Christmas and this felt like the perfect way to honour her. Another challenge was to see how many people you could fit in a KA –  the pair managed to fit 9 people in their car! Geoff described how each evening was great to catch up with the other teams and to hear how their tasks went. “It was a really fun experience and so great to just be a bit stupid with Nick!”

Geoff also shared his experience of the care received at the Hospice with us; When Emma was admitted to the Rowans Hospice, it was like having private care and being in your own home. It made life so much easier for all of us, because if Emma needed anything, it was done so quickly and we knew that when we left her she was being looked after 100%. Emma’s attitude changed when she came into the Hospice too, she seemed a lot calmer, perhaps through having her own room and knowing that family could visit easily.

Thank you, Geoff and Nick, for taking on such a creative challenge and generating £1,380 for the Charity.

If you would like to support the Rowans Hospice Charity by taking on your own income generation challenge, let us know via https://www.rowanshospice.co.uk/your-fundraising You can also join one of our Charity events, please visit  www.rowanshospice.co.uk/events for more information.