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.

This weeks main piece of news for the trip revolves around our detour to Kutaisi, the town twinned with Newport, Wales (see Twin Town post). Kutaisi, also the destination of Jason & The Argonauts for “The Golden Fleece“.

Neil & Tim attended a meeting in Newport Civic Centre last week with the “Newport Kutaisi Twinning Committee”. A collection of books is being put together to drive over there, and a load of Newport County FC shirts. We have accomodation at $22 a night per person including breakfast - it should have been $37. We will have 2 lunches, 1 dinner and a farewell dinner provided for us by the city mayor at no cost.

The other part of news was the organising of an 11-a-side football match against a team from the city, Wales Supporters XI v Kutaisi XI - it seems the schools of the city are having something of a tournament to find a squad of 20 of the best players to play us… us, who would have just driven into town, hot-footing it to a ground for a game with their pre-decided best squad… i don’t fancy our chances, and will put myself forward to be the Mel Pejic of the team. The photo is the football ground in Kutaisi… imagining us lining up for anthems.

The people of Kutaisi may also be interested in “buying” our cars off of us, the good news is there is no import duty to pay here - the idea is we sell off some of the cars here, and try and get the rest to Baku. The situation of driving right-hand drive cars into Azerbaijan is a hot topic, and one Neil is meeting the Azeri Embassy about later this month. Personally, i’d love to roll the Saab into Baku…

I would also like to say a big thank you for donations received over the last few days at our justgiving site, VERY much appreciated. Posting a link on Twitter and my Facebook  status on Red Nose Day I thought no chance, so thank you all very much, all proceeds going to a fantastic cause - please see http://www.golcymru.org

I’m not entirely sure how a Welsh Assembly Government minister found out about our charity drive, and so early, but AM Rosemary Butler has brought to the groups attention that Newport has been twinned with Georgia ’s second city Kutaisi for twenty years. She is very keen to help fundraising for charities and orphanages in Kutaisi. The month of May just so happens to be the 20th anniversary of this twinning between the two cities. According to Rosemary, we will have a huge welcoming, be escorted into the city, meet the mayor and we will have TV crews following our every move. We will also be given accommodation with Georgian families within the city. Newport council will not be sending anyone over to mark it because of the economic conditions here and we may be asked to ‘represent’ them when we visit (i.e. someone wear a County shirt).

I think the detour is only about 150 or so miles… i’ll check my “Lonely Planet Guide To Georgia” book I had for Christmas… never as a kid did I think such a book would make my Christmas list; or road maps of Romania, Hungary and Turkey for that matter.

“Buy your own fuckin’ gliw”