4000-mile scooter challenge
A FORFAR ex-pat is preparing to undertake a 4,000-mile scooter expedition to provide aid to a Gambian hospital.
Born and raised in Forfar, Debbie Simpson, is embarking on the journey across the Sahara to donate equipment to a hospital in The Gambia.
Debbie has been inspired to take on the challenge with the aim of donating her Honda C90 scooter to a hospital in the depths of The Gambia to continue the dream of an inspiring woman, Anita Smith, to re-build and fund a badly needed hospital.
Debbie is joining a team called ‘Scooters in the Sahara’ who have successfully completed three of these expeditions.
They start by acquiring Honda C90 cub scooters, which they will then ride 4,000 miles down to Bansang Hospital in The Gambia. This involves crossing seven countries, one war zone, and a mine field.
The three objectives of this ride are creating awareness for this project, raising funds and donating the bikes, equipment and expertise.
These bikes are a very necessary resource that enables the hospital to reach out to the wider community and can radically change the opportunities for the recipients of these machines.
In addition to donating these reliable and easy to maintain bikes, the team will spend a week working, using their much-needed individual skills in the hospital.
The extremely poor economy of the Gambia dictates that the Health Service within this tiny country is always under pressure to offer even basic medical services to the community.
Anita Smith started her work at the hospital in 1992 and has worked tirelessly ever since to assist the hospital management team in raising the standards of medical care for its patients.
The official Bansang Hospital Appeal Charity was registered with the UK Charity Commission in 1997.
Debbie is hoping to gain wider support for her mission in order to maximise the outcome of this expedition.
She said: “I am donating my bike, my time and expertise, and will return with just a small bag of personal essential items, leaving all equipment, eg. mosquito nets, clothing etc at the hospital.
“There is so much more that can be done and with that in mind, any donation, however small or large, will help purchase additional medical equipment for the Hospital.”
To make a donation visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/scoots2012 or www.scootersinthesahara.co.uk
Debbie would like to express her gratitude to those who have contributed to this project.
Should you wish to learn more about Scooters in the Sahara and/or the Bansang Hospital please contact Sue White on 0776 990 8733.
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Weather for Forfar
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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