Motor dealer donates a full service and spares for Mongolian Challenge

July 14, 2011 - PRLog -- When two courageous charity fundraisers were looking to drive a fifteen-year-old Ford Transit ambulance from the North-East to Mongolia, they turned to the service and parts department at Jennings Ford Direct in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, who were more than willing to help out with their challenge.

Best pals, Adam Graham, 27, from North Yorkshire and 29-year-old, Keith Graham, originally from Northern Ireland, but both living in Newcastle, have two things in common – not only do they share the same surname despite not being related, but they also possess the same burning desire to do something a little out of the ordinary in a bid to raise money for charity.

Having already backpacked around India, China, the Middle-East, North Africa, South America, South East Asia and Europe, the duo are about to embark on their toughest challenge to date - drive a 1996 190 2.5 Diesel Ford Transit Ambulance from England to Mongolia which will raise money for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, a charity which helps orphaned children in Mongolia and Vietnam.  

Adam Graham, said; “We have both travelled together around India, China and the Middle-East and Palestinian territories, in addition to South-East Asia, North Africa and most of Europe, so we feel quite accustomed to the kind of people and scenarios we will be faced with, but this is by far the greatest challenge yet.”

But before they could even start making plans for their proposed trip, the first priority for Adam and Keith was to find out if the 1996 Ford Transit Ambulance they had bought would sustain a journey covering 10,000 miles and a trek on dirt tracks across the Gobi desert.

That’s when staff at the service and parts department of the Jennings Ford Direct dealership on Newcastle Road in South Shields, stepped in and offered their support by not only agreeing to donate a full service on the vehicle, but also a number of spare parts, including a timing belt, oil, air and fuel filters, wiper blades, bulbs, oil, a first aid kit and some high visibility jackets for the trip.

Jeff Appleyard, service manager at Jennings Ford Direct, said; “It’s not often we get requests to service a 15-year-old Ford Transit Ambulance!

“This is an incredible challenge for anyone to undertake and due to the fact that Adam and Keith are also doing it all for charity, we were more than willing to help them out.”

The challenge is scheduled to commence on Saturday 23rd July 2011, when the intrepid duo will set off early on their journey which will start at Newcastle and take them through Europe towards Instanbul, across the Iran and North through Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, towards southern Siberia and then the Gobi desert to their destination, Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

Adam and Keith anticipate the journey to take five to six weeks, during which time they hope to raise more than £10,000 for their chosen charity.

Jeff added; “We will be monitoring their progress via their website on a daily basis.  On behalf of staff at Jennings Ford Direct, we would like to wish them both a very safe journey.”

The ambulance which will be filled with supplies ranging from board games to children’s pyjamas and lots of cuddly toys for the orphanage will be donated to a local non governmental organisation.

All money raised from the trip will go direct to the Blue Skies Ger Village in Ulaanbaatar, which is a home for children who have suffered abuse, violence and neglect due to extreme poverty.

If you would like to follow Adam and Keith on their challenge or to make a donation, visit http://www.followtheambulance.com

For more information about the products and services available at Jennings Ford Direct visit http://www.jenningsforddirect.co.uk or http://www.sjennings.com

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Jennings Motor Group is an independent, privately-owned company operating Ford, Mazda and SEAT dealerships across the North East of England.