Conwy to Baku

I’ve been too busy to individually blog each news article and update with regards the trip recently, so here is a summary of what’s been going on in the press over the past week:

The Daily Post article last Tuesday was most helpful to resolve our “no car for 5,000 mile trip and just 10 days to go” headline/problem. Many kind phone calls offering cars to myself and the papers news desk were received. We now have a reserve car being serviced, MOT’d (for the 6 or so hours we need to have one) and we should be ready to roll out in it on Friday evening. More on the car very shortly.

The North Wales Wekly News helped in updating the car situation and the awareness for the drive last Thursday.

The South Wales Argus covered the work some of our South Wales drivers are undertaking for Kutaisi, full story here. Kutaisi is the city in Georgia twinned with Newport. We will be staying 2 nights & visiting schools, youth football teams (rumour of a game in a 20,000 capacity stadium; Us v Kutaisi…), we will also meet the mayor and governors of Kutaisi.

Big thank you to Graham Linehan (writer & director of Father Ted, Black Books, Big Train, IT Crowd & all round comedy hero), for his kind twitter update which caused the website traffic and my Twitter feed to go off the scale for an hour or so. He had just been “statistically proven” to be the 5th most influential user of Twitter (higher than Barack Obama); here is his 1st  update after he found out; Start by using my powers for good. Help @marc79 make his epic journey http://www.justgiv… (please RT!). Here’s the link to the tweet.
Photo: Linehan judging Eurovision.

There was also a brief article in “The Independent on Sunday” sport section yesterday, full page link here, full article below;

Baku to the Future
Another good cause, and an unusual way of helping it: 22 wacky Welsh supporters are setting out on Friday for a 14-day, 3,500-mile charity drive to Azerbaijan’s national stadium in a fleet of old bangers. Each will be full of clothes, toys, books and football gear for the 15 Eastern European orphanages and youth centres they will visit en route. Supporters, who have also raised £6,000 to spend on equipment and building work, aim to arrive in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku in time for Wales’ World Cup qualifier on 6 June at the Tofik Bakhramov Stadium – the one named after the 1966 linesman with the miraculous vision.

I did another telephone interview for Tudno FM last Friday afternoon with an update on the car situation, our latest preparation and of Gols recent donation to the Saray orphanage in Azerbaijan towards building a kitchen. I am hoping to be on the breakfast show Thursday morning, circumstances permitting.