Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
WHO: Myself, Matt Handy and my navigator Sam Braund.
WHAT: To drive a 1983 Volkswagen Golf through ten Eastern European Countries within 7 days. A total of sixteen countries shall be covered.
COUNTRIES: England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland
WHEN: October 3rd (World MSA Day) - 9th 2013
What happened in 2012?
WHO: Just myself, Matthew Handy.
WHAT: To drive a 1983 Volkswagen Golf through ten countries within 7 days.
COUNTRIES: England, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland & Luxembourg.
WHEN: October 8th - 14th 2012
So what is this all about?
Basically I decided to do something to raise awareness of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), a terminal neurological disease and funds for the MSA Trust. This disease is not particularly common but does affect over 3,000 people in the UK at any one time.
My dad was diagnosed with MSA in 2004 and sadly passed away in 2007. This challenge is in his memory.
FACTS ON MSA
Nerve cells in affected areas of the brain atrophy or shrink. Cells are damaged in different areas of the brain controlling different body functions. The three areas most often affected are the basal ganglia, cerebellum and brain stem. It is still unclear as to why cells become damaged in people with MSA and further research is needed.
Further information about MSA can be found on the Multiple System Atrophy Trust’s website, www.msatrust.org.uk.