A GALWAY COUPLE have set off from Galway to drive to Gambia in a van they bought for just €140. Adrian Cummins and Deirdre Kenny hope to complete their journey in about a month in a 25-year-old Volkswagen Caravelle. The couple, from Portumna, left on Saturday afternoon from Eyre Square in Galway city.
The aim of the journey is to raise money for the One in Four organisation. Ms Kenny (32) has worked for the organisation for the past few years.
One in Four provides services for men and women who have been sexually abused.
The couple hope to raise about €30,000 from their marathon drive, which they describe as “the poor man’s version” of the Paris to Dakar rally.
Other teams from around the world will also be participating in the journey. Mr Cummins (35) said it was an endurance test with rules rather than a race. “It is a matter of completing the journey and we hope to do it in about four weeks,” he said.
One of the rules was that participants could not spend more than €140 on the vehicle, and the couple are hopeful their old banger will stand up to the test.
On their arrival in Gambia, Mr Cummins and Ms Kenny will, like all other participants in the marathon, hand over their vehicle. It will then be auctioned to raise money for local charities.
The couple will drive through France and Spain before crossing the Mediterranean to Morocco. They will sleep in the van but will give themselves the luxury of spending Christmas night in a hotel in Marrakesh. From there, they will cross the western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal and hope to arrive in Banjul, Gambia, in mid-January. “It will be difficult being away for Christmas but we want to raise funds for One in Four and do what we can,” said Ms Kenny.
The couple will collect money along the way and donations can be made online at www.galwaytogambia.ie.