[jas]

The Doncaster Mini Register is hosting a Charity Mini Run around the coast of mainland Britain from July 12 to 19 inclusive.

We are supporting MacMillan Cancer Support, the Multiple Sclerosis Society and a couple of local charities too.

The run will start in Doncaster on Saturday July 12th heading North round the coast arriving back in Doncaster on Saturday July 19th, a total of nearly 3000 miles in 8 days!

I realise not everyone will want to spend 8 days in a car driving around the UK. But the hope is to get a handful of cars on the main run and to get local individuals and clubs to join us in their area for their bit of it. The route is detailed below.

I need your help to plan this one. I obviously can't recce the whole route, and I don't simply want to plan it from a map. And I don't want to miss out on some good roads either.
I am asking you guys out there to volunteer to plan part of the route in your area.
I will be emailing clubs in the next few days asking for their help, but if you want to volunteer now please email me via the contact address at the bottom of this post.

Each day should try to take in a Mini Dealership and where possible a busy shopping centre where we might spend an hour collecting money in our charity boxes.
If you are planning some of the route I will need email contact details for the Mini dealership and the collection area if possible. You could liaise with them to get permission and support too.

Obviously the two main costs to the driver will be fuel and accomodation costs. If you live in the town sited at the end of each day I would appreciate it if you could try to source hotels / B & B's which might support us with discounted rooms. As I said there might only be a handful of cars doing the whole thiing so numbers will be small.
Again please email me if you can help with this in any way.

THE ROUTE

DAY 1- Saturday July 12th
Launch event.
The idea to get as many Mini's in Doncaster as possible, and start the run by taking these cars to the Humber Bridge Country Park.
I will be planning this phase of therun. Details to follow.

Run route - volunteers needed to plan
Through Hull out to the East Coast, Scarborough, Whitby, ending the day in the North East, prefarably Sunderland

DAY 2 - Sunday July 13th
run route - volunteers needed to plan
From Sunderland,
through Berwick,
( route done from Berwick to Edinburgh - thanks Andy, NMS )
Edinburgh,
( route done from Edinburgh to Aberdeen - thanks Craig, NMS )
Aberdeen,
Elgin,
ending the day in Inverness.

Day 3 - Monday July 14th
run route - volunteers needed
From Inverness,
up to John O' Groats,
back through Inverness, Fort William,
( route done from Fort William to Glasgow - thanks Craig, NMS )
the Trossachs, to Glasgow

Day 4 - Tuesday July 15th
run route - volunteer needed
From Glasgow, through Stranraer, Carlisle, Whitehaven, Windermere, Morecambe, Blackpool (Woodman Mini if possible because they support these kind of events a lot), Merseyside to Rhyl

Day 5 - Wednesday July 16th
run route - volunteer needed
From Rhyl around the coast of Wales, through Bangor, Aberystwyth, Haverfordwest, Cardiff, Newport, M5 into Devon, Minehead.

Day 6 - Thursday July 17th
run route - volunteer needed
From Minehead, down to Newquay and Lands End, back along South Coast through Plymouth, Weymouth ending the day in Bournemouth

Day 7 - Friday July 18th
run route - volunteer needed
From Bournemouth, through Brighton, Dover, Margate, Southend, Chelmsford, Colchester ending the day in Ipswich.

Day 8 - Saturday July 19th
run route - volunteer needed
From Ipswich up the East Coast, through Yarmouth, Skegness, Mablethorpe, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, and then home to Doncaster.


Obviously I have picked these places from the map. The route you plan doesn't have to go through all these places but should try to end up in the last place on the list for that day.
We want to drive some great British roads keeping away from motorways and traffic congestion where possible on the trip, but at the same time the route should still try to head in the right direction. If you are planning a route please bear this in mind.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Even if you can't attend the event at all, you can still help us to raise money. Sponsor forms are available, the idea being to sponsor the club for the event rather than individual drivers.
They are serialised so I know who has got them and names will be put online. If you want one please PM your address and I will get them sent out to you.

Drivers who attend the run at any point will be asked for donations and car stickers will be available soon with all proceeds from their sale going to the charities.

IN SUMMARY

This could be a very special event, or it could fall flat on it's arse. I am asking for you to help us make this work, and who knows it could become an annual event with the hope that next year we make it a little longer and take in Ireland too.

If you can help with the route, accomodation or sponsorship please email me at
tour-of-britain@fsmail.net

More chat and details can be found on the DMR web site via this link
DONCASTER MINI REGISTER :: Index

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Jason
Doncaster Mini Register


CONFIRMED DRIVERS - FULL EVENT

1. Jas - DMR
2. Checkmate - DMR
3. Lucy W - ECMC
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

[Hat]

that's a hell of an undertaking to get it ready for july its a great thing you're doing & best of luck but you're not giving yourself much time.

did you know there was a similar event several years ago? - check back on the run threads & you should be able to find it. there might be some good pointers for you there

[KPKalle]

Well 18-20 July is the South Downs Run. Maybe you can hook up with that on the 18th when you're in the neighbourhood?

[jas]

That would be a great idea KP.
I know we are running a little late on this one Hat, it has been in the planning stages for the past few weeks but I was waiting to confirm a few things before posting here.
I think we have enough time, and I will check back for the old thread. Thanks for the tip Hat.

[Berthil]

This would be something for me to do in my holiday.
See a lot and be with Mini friends, nothing left to wish.

I'll keep a close look how this will develop and book a Ferry and B&B's on time.

Good luck!

[jas]

You would be very welcome.

[deanquartermaine]

Quote: Originally Posted by Berthil (original)

This would be something for me to do in my holiday.
See a lot and be with Mini friends, nothing left to wish.

I'll keep a close look how this will develop and book a Ferry and B&B's on time.

Good luck!

As Jason says you would be more than welcome to join us!

[jas]

Just giving this event a bump because time is passing and I still need help with this one.

The guys up at 'New Mini Scotland' have been great so far and I think they will be able to sort out the route up there in Scotland.
I still need help with the rest of the route though.

Remember, you don't have to plan the whole day, you can just plan some good roads in your area as long as it follows the general direction of travel.

If you have always wanted to plan a run but don't know where to start then this might be your chance. Pick a start point ( a car park somewhere will do ), take us on some great 'Mini' roads and end somewhere.

Any help is appreciated. I can plan the route off a map but I don't want to miss out on some great roads, and the map doesn't tell me that.

Please get involved in this and lets raise some money for some worthwhile causes.

Thanks again.
Jas, Doncaster Mini Register

[humph]

Good luck with this, sounds great. It's a very ambitious project, especially with the timescales involved. How many have you got signed up?

The areas I know are

Quote:

Day 4 - Tuesday July 15th
run route - volunteer needed
From Glasgow, through Stranraer, Carlisle, Whitehaven, Windermere, Morecambe, Blackpool (Woodman Mini if possible because they support these kind of events a lot), Merseyside to Rhyl

Day 5 - Wednesday July 16th
run route - volunteer needed
From Rhyl around the coast of Wales, through Bangor, Aberystwyth, Haverfordwest, Cardiff, Newport, M5 into Devon, Minehead.

and there are some fantastic roads to be driven in these parts of the world. I will say this though, the daily itinery for day 5 especially is gruelling. I did Colwyn Bay to Swansea following the main/direct road from north to south last year and that in itself is a 4+ hour trek through Festiniog, Machynlleth, Aberystwyth, Llandysil, Swansea/Neath. That was a Saturday morning, leaving North Wales before 6. Remember that progress on rural roads is not always swift. Have you set any rules on how far from the coast you are allowed to be?

I hope this works out for you.

Will try and suggest some nice roads for the drive

[Stevemac]

Day 4 - Tuesday July 15th
run route - volunteer needed
From Glasgow, through Stranraer, Carlisle, Whitehaven, Windermere, Morecambe, Blackpool (Woodman Mini if possible because they support these kind of events a lot), Merseyside to Rhyl.


Which route are you travelling from Glasgow, as the above seems extremely tight unless your doing a 5.00am to a night run too!

I'm up for Carlisle to Blackpool with a few others, on the day.

Steve

[jas]

I will update the first post soon with parts of the route that I have so far.

It is ambitious but the route is the biggest part of it and with your help I don't see why it won't work.

We are planning around 400 miles per day to do the 3000 miles in 8 days. One or two days will be long ones because of the area, Wales springs to mind, so we are planning 8 to 9 hour days at times.

We have set no rules for distance from the coast, after all the North West of Scotland would be impossible to do correctly but we don't want to be too far away if possible.

If you do plan part of the route could you try to use a post code for start and finish so we can tie them together. A car park of some kind would be ideal so that there is a definate point to start and end that part of the run.

And it goes without saying that anyone who wants to join us, perhaps lead that stage, would be more than welcome. We want as many cars to take part as we can, not just the handful of us that will be doing the whole thing.

Thanks again everyone.
Jas

[ALD0]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hat (original)

that's a hell of an undertaking to get it ready for july its a great thing you're doing & best of luck but you're not giving yourself much time.

did you know there was a similar event several years ago? - check back on the run threads & you should be able to find it. there might be some good pointers for you there

It was, I did the full run along with a few others.

We had a few local MINI's joining us too throughout the tour

The link can be found here:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/uk-irelan...hing-else.html

It's great someone can organise this sort of run again, and 2 months pretty much is very quick turnaround.

We were going to do another run in 2005 almost to the day in fact, but this was cancelled due to the fact there was not enough interest for all the cars to do the full run.

Brings back very fond memories reading through the old posts...

[jas]

Thanks for finding that Aldo.

Have amended the first post to reflect the route details we have so far. Pleas help us to fill in the gaps if you can.
Thanks
Jas

[jas]

Just giving this a bump guys. Still need your help with the route, the guys up in Scotland have been great so far.
If you want to get involved and join us on an individual day, please let me know. Not long to go now.

[jas]

Hi everyone.

Well, with just a few weeks to go now before this run takes place, I have to say I am a little disappointed with the response from the Mini community.

Initial response on all forums was vary positive, but it seems to have gone a little quiet lately.

Our aim is to raise some decent money for some worthy causes, but also to have a blast on some of the best roads the UK has to offer.

As I said before, I can take the route from the map and plan it that way. But I want to meet up with local clubs and individuals on the way around and get some input from you guys on where we should be heading. So far it is only the guys in Scotland who have planned a route for us.

We also needed help finding accomodation as cheap as possible to help keep drivers costs down.

So I am appealing again for your help. If you can help us to plan a full day ( see first post for details of each day ) or just part of it then please let me know.
If you can help us find accomodation in the overnight places again let me know.
But most of all, if you want to join us for part, or all, of the run, get in touch.

I don't need your help to make this event work, but I do want your help to make it the best it can be.
Thanks again for reading.
Jas

Organiser
Tour of Britain Charity Mini Run 2008

[SoggyCornFlakes]

Jas - don't be too hard on the MINI community, this type of event takes a lot of planning and time - and has been said earlier on this thread it's been done before and was a major task to make it sucessful. There's too short a notice period for folks to get truly involved in this, iIf you were planning it for 2009 then you'd find a bigger uptake from people I'm sure

Good luck with it though.

Bob

[ALD0]

Like Bob said,

We did it those few years a go.
A lot of planning was done, I personally am unable to commit at this moment in time. I have a little un now-If I weren't a father would of been able to assist, also the fact that my MINI has too much mileage as it is-Next year though and maybe with the help from a few dealerships?

Si

[jas]

I have decided to cancel this event due to a lack of interest from both my club, the Doncaster Mini Register, but also the so called Mini 'community' too.
Apart from the guys up at New Mini Scotland it has been very quiet.

A copy of the text I posted on my web site can be found below.

________________


It is with a heavy heart that I write this today, but after having lengthy discussions with Darrel, I am informing all of you that the DMR Charity Event is now cancelled.

It has been very disappointing for me, and Darrel, that this event hasn't grabbed peoples attention like we thought it would.
We never expected many people to drive the whole route around. But I did expect more effort to help raise funds which is, after all, the main reason for the event.

As it stands the costs to individuals would be far higher than the money raised, and so it makes it hard to justify the costs against the returns.

We have over 400 users on this site, it is a large forum. I realise that the majority of registered users are casual and hardly make a visit. But I expected 50 people to raise around £ 100 making a total of £ 5000, This plus money collected at fund raising days would have made a decent total.

I am also disappointed that no one has managed to organise one of these fund raising events in their area. I had three planned, Sainsbury's came back to me with the same date as the Lakeside one, and so were trying to get us another. But we could have done one of these somewhere every weekend.

So I am very disappointed with the response from DMR members, but I am far more disappointed with the response from the so called 'Mini community'.

I only asked for individuals / clubs to help us plan the route in their area and join us if they can. The guys from New Mini Scotland have been great. Most of the route up there is done, and their supporting dealer were supporting us by feeding us on Day 2. A big thanks to them.
But for the rest of the UK, nothing.

It is very disappointing. We could plan the route from maps, no problem. But I wanted regional clubs to get involved, and it just didn't happen.

I will be posting on the other forums later to let them know that the event is off, and I will try to put a note in Modern Mini for next month.

All money raised so far will be donated to MacMillan, for their efforts with press releases etc.

This episode has also made me question my commitment to the DMR. I feel that I have taken the club as far as I can go, last year being the highlight in terms of events attended and new members taken on.
Being mentioned in Modern Mini's awards as being one of the best clubs in the UK was the pinnacle.

But I am searching for new things to do, fresh challenges. The charity event being the first of these events. If I can't get this off the ground then I don't know what else to do.
I have had an idea of hosting a BMW indoor Mini show at the Doncaster Exhibition Centre, but feel that this won't happen now either.

I am also tired of the bickering amongst individuals that casts a shadow over the club. I suppose as the club grows tensions can happen as people get closer and then fall out. But it is detremental to the club in general.

So I am now focused on Normanby Hall, our next show in two weeks time. But it might be the last event that I organise. It doesn't mean that I won't be around, I just feel that I have other things in my life which could make better use of my time.

I will confirm my future plans in the near future.

Thank you for reading.
Jas

[andrewcregan]

Jas, I have great respect for you efforts in trying to get this off the ground, but you really had several things going against you.
For such a major event, requiring a great deal of organisation, April was a bit late to announce a July event.
As others have said, planning for 2009 may have been more realistic.
Your hook was to do the whole event, which would be very expensive and time consuming to the average MINI owner. If you look at the Top Gear event as an example, their winning hook was the opportunity to drive around the Top Gear circuit. 250 clearly wanted to do this in 2008, as it is a rare opportunity to access such a place. I would guess the average person drove a round trip of 200 miles to partake in this event.
There are lots of other runs for people to choose from, often including people they already already know, from their own local club.
I am sure a lot of people were not interested in an 800 mile leg in one day. That is hard work, and really no fun. Surely a contributury factor in so few takers.
Even if people joined you for a fraction of the leg, they still have to get to the start point, and home from where they leave you - approx half the distance would not be on the run.
This would be before trying to coordinate times and places to meet the run - a logistical nightmare part way through a leg.
You were very reliant on people planning your routes for you - which they clearly did not do.
I think if you are organising event, you should be able to plan the whole route yourself. Relying on others has let you down and feeling disillusioned.
The whole thing never got off the ground, as there was only 3 confirmed drivers. Which not being mean, would be perceived as yourself and 2 pals.
It would appear to me that the event has been terminated at the point where most people would first announce an event.
Also remember the financial climate we find ourselves in, and the incredible cost of fuel. Money is a lot tighter for a lot of people know - charity always starts at home.
Generating a charity event, with genuine goodwill, is always going to be disappointing when people do not share your enthusiasm, but you cannot assume others will be eager to join you.
Why not still do the charity drive around the UK, the 3 of you? I am sure you would still raise plenty of money.
You have clearly organised excellent events before, and hopefully will again, but I think this was a bridge too far, without enough time and planning.
I am sure with the experience gained from this you will have learned plenty, and may be able to forgive the MINI community whom you perceive have let you down .
Good luck to you Jas, with whatever you choose to do in the future.

Andrew

[Stevemac]

Quote: Originally Posted by andrewcregan (original)

Jas, I have great respect for you efforts in trying to get this off the ground, but you really had several things going against you.
For such a major event, requiring a great deal of organisation, April was a bit late to announce a July event.
As others have said, planning for 2009 may have been more realistic.
Your hook was to do the whole event, which would be very expensive and time consuming to the average MINI owner. If you look at the Top Gear event as an example, their winning hook was the opportunity to drive around the Top Gear circuit. 250 clearly wanted to do this in 2008, as it is a rare opportunity to access such a place. I would guess the average person drove a round trip of 200 miles to partake in this event.
There are lots of other runs for people to choose from, often including people they already already know, from their own local club.
I am sure a lot of people were not interested in an 800 mile leg in one day. That is hard work, and really no fun. Surely a contributury factor in so few takers.
Even if people joined you for a fraction of the leg, they still have to get to the start point, and home from where they leave you - approx half the distance would not be on the run.
This would be before trying to coordinate times and places to meet the run - a logistical nightmare part way through a leg.
You were very reliant on people planning your routes for you - which they clearly did not do.
I think if you are organising event, you should be able to plan the whole route yourself. Relying on others has let you down and feeling disillusioned.
The whole thing never got off the ground, as there was only 3 confirmed drivers. Which not being mean, would be perceived as yourself and 2 pals.
It would appear to me that the event has been terminated at the point where most people would first announce an event.
Also remember the financial climate we find ourselves in, and the incredible cost of fuel. Money is a lot tighter for a lot of people know - charity always starts at home.
Generating a charity event, with genuine goodwill, is always going to be disappointing when people do not share your enthusiasm, but you cannot assume others will be eager to join you.
Why not still do the charity drive around the UK, the 3 of you? I am sure you would still raise plenty of money.
You have clearly organised excellent events before, and hopefully will again, but I think this was a bridge too far, without enough time and planning.
I am sure with the experience gained from this you will have learned plenty, and may be able to forgive the MINI community whom you perceive have let you down .
Good luck to you Jas, with whatever you choose to do in the future.

Andrew

I'd like to echo what Andrew has said, too much too soon, maybe if it had been arranged for 2009,giving the masses more time to arrange thier time. It was a massive ask, and the daily runs where IMO too much mileage for one day. Maybe it could be organised that individuals in all parts of the country could each do a sort of relay from one point to another and when everyone gets to thier own finishing point, rather than just a few making the long journey to complete the lot.

If you do come back with a revised date, we could all make plans for such a worthy cause.

Good Luck

Steve Mac