Trailer for “Shank”, Marc Laurent

On 10 July 2010 at 10.00am, 40 teams set off on an ambitious journey from Woburn Safari Park, near Milton Keynes, on the official launch of the 2010 Mongolia Charity Rally. The journey entails a 10,000 mile drive taking approximately six weeks and gruelling terrain which includes five mountain ranges, two deserts and the vast Eurasian steppes along the way, finally ending at Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolia Charity Rally is co-ordinated by Go Help, a UK registered charity, run entirely by volunteers.

Matthew John: 31 years old, of Olympus Productions, studied at Bristol UWE, before working in the independent and commercial film sector. Specialising in areas of finance, marketing and pr. Matthew John became a dynamic member of Charity Rally, team when he joined forces with David Griffiths and Stephen Edwards, three years ago. Helping the charity raise over £250,000.

Matthew John quotes:

“Hosting the launch at the Woburn Safari Park was amazing. It gave Rally members families/friends and Press a small insight into what the rally drivers will see on their adventures. But they get to see all the foreign wildlife in their natural environment. I am very jealous. This event alone has raised over £50,000 so far. And with each and every event, we seem to be raise more and more. Over the last three years we have raised over £250,000. Aiding causes across the world, from Mongolia, Cambodia and Tajikistan. Being part of the Charity Rallies team is also a fantastic experience. You get to make so many new friends, and have such amazing experiences. The friendships and memory will stay with me for life.”

“Every Rally is unique. The adventures and experiences just seem to get better and better with Rally. The Mongolia Rally was very much a landmark launch for me. It was one of our most largest and successful events. It gave everyone that was sense a sense of new worlds which the rally members would be driving though”

“I never thought when we started this, that we would be able to raise over £250,000 with such a crazy idea. It is amazing, as everyone benefits.”

“Today, I spent some of the day talking to family/friends of the rally members, and it brought to light, how the effects of this charity ripple, not only though people in Mongolia and the drivers, but also though others. Family and friends that have helped members raise money, repay cars, assist with visa’s.

There was many a proud parent in the crowd today. And many friends, said their friends had been empowered/inspired/ not too sure what to call it, within the pre-planning stages of the Rally. If the pre-planning had given them so much fulfilment, I can’t wait till there come back from their adventures. Today has just been a fantastic day, on every level.”

Mongolia Charity Rally.

This year funds will be used to assist vulnerable nomadic herding families who have lost much or all of their livestock as a result of last winter’s severe weather which affected much of Mongolia.

Since the first Mongolia Charity Rally in 2008, Go Help has raised over £250,000 for good causes in Mongolia. Past and current projects include a new centre for street children and a Rehabilitation and Education Centre for Children with disabilities. To date, over 50 vehicles including fully fitted emergency ambulances have been donated.

Notes

The 2010 Mongolia Charity Rally involves teams driving from Central London to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar by any route possible The length of the drive is approximately 10,000 miles, and takes around six weeks. Teams are required to raise a minimum of £1,500 to support Go Help projects in Mongolia, but can also raise funds for a second charity of their choice if they wish. All vehicles that make it to the finishing line are auctioned to raise money for Go Help projects or are donated to suitable hospitals, orphanages, NGOs and other similar organisations.
The Mongolia Charity Rally’s fundraising focus for 2010 is Dzud Relief, supporting vulnerable nomadic herding families who have lost their only source of income through exceptionally severe winter weather (or ‘dzud’). The 2009-10 dzud killed 1.7 million head of livestock and left tens of thousands of families facing food shortages. The first Mongolia Charity Rally took place in 2008. Since then over £250,000 has been raised to date, and over 50 vehicles donated to worthy causes in Mongolia.
Go Help has worked particularly closely with Save the Children, supporting major project including the National Rehabilitation and Education Centre for Children with Disabilities in Ulaanbaatar in 2008 and a Kazakh-language education programme for minority children in the far west of Mongolia in 2009. In April 2010, Go Help donated £50,000 to Save the Children to provide support to vulnerable children through Save the Children’s drop in centre for street children.

Go Help is a UK charity which has as its core mission raising funds from charity events, specifically charity rallies. In addition to the Mongolia Charity Rally, Go Help also manages the Roof of the World rally, and the Mad Tuk Tuk Challenge was launched in April 2010. Go Help is the only operator of non-profit making charity rallies in the UK, and all the money raised by the teams goes directly to the chosen charities.