Post-summer news...

Chris writes: "Dear all, Sorry that it is so long since the last update, summer just got in the way! But we haven't forgotten to carry on fundraising and as you will have seen we also have a welsh awbulance. In July Jo and I went to meet Omar which was great fun, a real learning experience. On the way home Jo casually dropped a bombshell by announcing that she was about to move to Warrington! Not wanting to let an opportunity like this pass we arranged some fund raising events on Jo's final day. This co-incided with Russ's car design competition and so following a large amount of bribery during the day the final design was a pink jeep with flowers down the side..... Thanks have to go to all of Nirex's staff as between them they raised over £300 - WOW.

Our next planned outing was to the Abingdon 4x4 Festival on the 23 September. Alex & I decided that we'd use our finely honed painting skills and paint the XTCold pink. Unfortunately they don't sell cheap pink paint, so we made some. It came out very ucky and has gone on with a rather tasteful pebbledashed effect - I can see the orders rolling in now as we set a new trend across the UK- we've even questioned whether we should give up our day jobs.

The 4x4 festival was great fun. Several people paid to sign the car. There are a range of different messages and designs, some of them are even publishable. Several of the stall holders made generous donations including the Thames Valley 4x4 Club (http://www.tv4x4.co.uk/) who very generously donate a complete set of off road tyres for the Suzuki and also donated was a set of nets to hold down luggage. At the end of the event XTCold was looking cool and ready to go, well as cool as pink jeep with flowers can!

The Awbulance now has an MOT and I am suggesting to Alex that it might look good in pink, I think we have got some paint left.... Our next event is at the end of October, when Nirex are hosting a joint fund raising day for Breast Cancer Awareness, Pageant and Health the Gambia. Tristan is also trying to arrange for us to go to one of his school assemblies to talk to the kids - how scary is that? Talk again soon" - Pics and more details as always are on the website.