By Paul Gilliver
The Highlands Rickshaw Ride was a sponsored event driving Indian rickshaws around Scotland and ran from Monday Sept 25th until Saturday 7th October 2006.
The reason for doing this was to raise both awareness of and funds for two charities, Saltmine Trust’s work with children in Bulgaria and The Owl & Pussycat project which collects and redeploys educational materials to developing nations.
Doing this event was both enjoyable and exhausting in equal measure and, apart from the finances raised (around £6000), raising the ministry profile of Saltmine’s work in Bulgaria and the Owl & Pussycat project was really positive and created interest in some about joining a mission team to Bulgaria and in others how to get behind the work of O&P.
The logistics of doing this were huge. The 2 rickshaws were transported to and from Scotland in the back of 2 Luton hire vans. These were driven by myself and my son Andy, who at the end of the event flew to Edinburgh only to get straight into a van to drive all the way back to Dudley!! One of the Luton vans was used as the support vehicle with the second rickshaw on board in case of accidents or breakdowns. 15 different drivers along the route were recruited to drive the 19 legs, the eldest being Joan, who was 82, and the youngest Andy 23. Overnight accommodation was generally with people who were either driving a leg or organising an event (or both). These times were especially good for sharing in an informal, relaxed atmosphere about the wider work of Saltmine and the Owl & the Pussycat project.
At strategic points along the route there were 9 organised events where we were able to communicate about the rickshaw ride and the work of the two charities being supported. These were both informal and formal meetings using multi media presentations and answering many questions.
Many opportunities had been organised along the east coast to talk to the press and get photos in the local newspapers, many being front page news. On one occasion someone came over to talk to us as we were changing over drivers in a car park. They had read about the event in the newspaper and proceeded to put a donation in the bucket!!
Paul, Andy Doman & Andy's son Elliott at a cold and windy John O' Groats.
We eventually arrived at a very windy and cold John O’ Groats on Tuesday 3rd October, where we were surprised to discover that we were the first people to take an Indian rickshaw there.
The weather was excellent for most of the time, with bright sunshine and low winds. It only rained for the last couple of days as we travelled from Fort William back to Cumbernauld. The rickshaw is actually an interesting vehicle to drive when the wind is blowing hard as it makes the rear of the vehicle, with its open sides, feel a little like a parachute.
Throughout the event we partnered with a new Christian radio station in Cumbernauld, Revival FM, where we began and finished the ride. I did a daily live update by mobile phone during their afternoon ‘Drive Time’ show, where both the ride and the supported charities were highlighted. The presenter of this also set me daily tasks, mainly sampling local food from the area we were in and then commenting on it.
Finally, a big ‘Thank You’ to all of you who supported this event with prayer and finances.
Paul Gilliver