Members of Integrate’s New Focus project embarked on a 1,500 mile journey in two old bangers. Lee Kellett describes their adventure.
When, in 2009, I was interviewed by Doreen Singleton for a job with Integrate I never imagined that one of my favourite hobbies would be part of my work.
Doreen, who became my service manager, asked me about my hobbies, one of which was classic car restoration and all things mechanical. Doreen mentioned that it had been a dream of New Focus – an Integrate project – to take part in a European banger rally. I began a two month career as a project worker and, as tends to be the case, those two months turned into five years.
As on numerous occasions at our yearly activity meeting in 2014, we got on to the topic of participating in a banger rally. Our clients’ participation in events over the previous years had included walking the 80 miles of the Ribble Way, climbing the National Three Peaks, the Tough Mudder assault course and the Preston 10k. But it was not until last year that we finally decided that in 2015 we were going to go for it and in January we signed up for ‘Benidorm or Bust’.
Two bangers
The plan was to buy two bangers for less than £600 to take eight people through three countries on a 1,500-mile journey over three days.
In March I purchased two vehicles I hoped were up to the task. We managed to secure a garage where we could undertake the work needed to ensure the cars could make the journey.
And so it began. I put the idea to a group of service users and they were on board with the idea of dedicating their weekends to working on the cars and then taking part in the journey. Over the coming months we serviced the vehicles, changing the oils, all the filters and the cam belts. By this point the clients had also agreed on a theme taken from a popular TV series ‘’The Walking Dead’’, hence the cars were transformed into Zombie Response Vehicles.
On a rainy Wednesday morning in May we met in the office car park. The cars were packed with clothes, spares, CB radios and people. We left to cheers from the assembled staff and service users, feeling nervous but excited about the journey ahead. We took the short trip to the starting point in Blackpool. The car park was crammed with the 300 other competitors raring to go and a whirlwind 30 minutes later, we were off.
‘’Tssssssshhhh Zombie Response One – are you there?’’ the microphone crackled as we began the journey down the M6. We gave confirmation and stayed in radio contact with the other car and hundreds of other excited competitors using the same radio frequency. We pulled into Dover’s shipping terminal and saw the epic white cliffs which seemed to extend for ever. A two hour delay ensued before we could board the ship and set sail for Calais. After a choppy three hour journey we arrived in Calais at 1 am local time. A short journey on the wrong side of the road took us to our hotel for the night.
On Thursday we met as agreed at 8 am for breakfast and shortly after were on the road again heading for Poitiers. Travelling through France the temperatures rose and the landscape changed. Everyone was relaxed as we ate up the miles. Our Managing Director John Hutchinson had travelled to Poitiers to meet us for the evening and was excited to see us pull into Poitiers centre some eight hours later. That evening we all went out for tea and played pool in a local bar until the early hours.
Soaring temperatures
On Friday we met the other competitors and John at the morning race meet in a hotel car park. Despite yesterday’s soaring temperatures it was raining and after a bagel and several coffees we left for the longest of our daily journeys over the Pyrenees, dropping down into the Spanish city of Zaragoza. On the journey we passed what could only be described as some of the most beautiful views on the planet and the temperature really did rocket into the 30s.
After nearly twelve hours of driving, three police check points and six fuel stops the exhausted eight left the cars to check into the hotel. An hour later we all had a walk through Zaragoza and had a well earned Dominos pizza sitting outside on the city’s main strip. Arriving back at the hotel at around midnight we decided to make the most of tomorrow and start for Benidorm at 6 am the next day in order to arrive for breakfast.
It was now the last day of our drive and the cars were holding up well. At 6 am, true to our word, we left the underground hotel car park with our headlights lighting the way. Two minutes later we got stopped by the Spanish Police who breathalysed us and checked our papers. Then our journey for the finish line began.
As the sun came up in the distance and ‘The Stone Roses’ playing on the radio, we discussed all the things we had done over the previous days. This journey had been a mammoth undertaking but an exciting adventure. As we soaked up the miles we passed signs for Barcelona, then the sign for Benidorm appeared in the distance. As we approached everyone erupted into cheering. Soon we went through what was to be the 17th and last toll booth before we arriving at the seaside resort of Benidorm.
In awe
As we pulled into Benidorm we were in awe of the two bangers that had carried us there and discussed the sad fate that awaited them at noon when they were to be scrapped while we took the three hour flight back to the UK. We checked into our apartments and headed for dinner.
That night we went to the awards ceremony and from there into the bright lights of Benidorm’s clubbing district where we celebrated until 5 am. We had to be up for our 6.30 am airport transfer only 90 minutes later.
On the plane back we discussed our favourite moments and laughed at memories that will surely last a lifetime.
