Press Release
Issued: 19th May 2008
Global Roaming for Charity
Three friends from the Lothians are driving a quarter of the way around the world and crossing mountains and deserts in an attempt to raise money for charity.
Hafiz Ahmed (Edinburgh), Asif Rashid (Midlothian) and Zaheer Aslam (Edinburgh) are all taking part in the Mongolia Rally which starts on 5th July in London and ends 10,000 miles later in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbataar.
The team, named the Silk Road Express because they will closely follow the famous historical route of the same name, will undertake their 5 week journey in an eleven year old car. Their route will take them across dirt tracks through 17 countries in Europe and central Asia including Germany, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.
Funds are being raised for charities in the field of cancer research and vulnerable children. Two members of the team have had their lives touched by cancer as Asif recovered from Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer 8 years ago and Hafiz lost his mother to cancer 10 years ago
Standard Life have agreed to ‘double match’ any funds the team raise for charity so for example if the Silk Road Express raise £2,000, Standard Life will donate a total of £4,000. The team are therefore hoping to raise as much as possible.
Zaheer says: “Our main purpose in taking part in the rally is to raise valuable funds for important charities. We would urge everyone to please make a donation to the charities we are supporting. This can easily be done through our official website www.silkroadexpress.org “
The rally will definitely be a challenge but the team are all excited to be taking part. Hafiz says: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m really looking forward to it even though we won’t have the benefit of GPS (outside Europe), we don’t speak any of the local languages in the countries we are visiting and I’ve also heard there is a possibility we may come across snakes, wolves, bears, wild dogs and scorpions!”
In addition to charity sponsorship, the team is also seeking team sponsorship: Asif says: “In order to take part in the Mongolian Rally, all members of the team are taking unpaid leave from their places of employment. The team will incur personal expenses of around £5,000 for costs for things such as visa documentation, fuel, vaccinations, car equipment etc. If any business or individual can support us in any way, for example by contributing to our petrol fund, by providing free/discounted products to use along the way or simply by making a general cash donation towards expenses please contact us at enquiries@silkroadexpress.org “
All team sponsors will be acknowledged on the Silk Road Express website and where possible in any publicity the team receives.
For further information on the team’s plans please see their official website at: www.silkroadexpress.org
Ends
Note for Editors:
The Mongolia Rally event is organised by the UK charity ‘Go Help’ which was created to promote an ethical model of charity rallying, ensuring that funds raised for charitable activities go to charity with little or no provision for administrative costs, and to ensure that rally enthusiasts who want to take part in charity rallies can do so at a lower cost than is otherwise available through rallies that are run for profit.
Media Coverage
Evening News – 20/5/2008
Eastern Eye – 23/5/2008
