Fundraising London Cab Drivers postpone their next challenge until February 2021
When the fundraising group “Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro” announced that their next fundraising challenge would be to climb both Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in October 2020 to raise funds for The London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children and children’s community project in Tanzania, who could have predicted what 2020 had in store for the world?
COVID-19 absolutely changed the life of everyone across the globe. All businesses were affected in some way or another, mostly in a very negative way and the London Taxi trade was a major victim of the pandemic with every cabbie in London having their lively hood and earning opportunities hit hard.
Daren Parr, London Cabbie and Founder of Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro, said, “Not only did the world shut down, but people stopped going to work, travelling across the city and the tourist trade was decimated. All the many reasons passengers need cabs in London vanished more or less overnight.
To compound this the increase in the number of road restrictions across London made it even harder for our historic and iconic trade to make a living with what little work there was in London.”
John Dillane, London Cabbie and Founder of Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro, continued, “So not only did the volunteer cabbies who joined Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro to climb Kilimanjaro this October have the massive task of trying to survive financially with the worse level of trade they had ever experienced but they needed to be ready for the biggest challenge in their life physically and mentally too.”
Daren Parr, continued, “The events of this year certainly took their toll with more than half of the original number of cabbies who had signed up to join us on this fundraising climb dropping out.
It’s a very hard challenge and some underestimated the fitness and stamina level they needed to train for, some suffered injuries that put them out of action but most upsetting of all were those who had to drop out as they couldn’t afford the cost of travel to Tanzania and their kit, as they were getting so little work when they were out and about in their cabs.”
But through all this adversity fifteen men and women have demonstrated amazing depth of character, prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes to complete their dream and in the process raise as much money as they can for The London Taxi Drivers Charity for Children and the Tanzanian Children’s Community Project.
Daren, continued, “We have all completed the Knowledge, recognised as one of the toughest tests in the world and we won’t give up.
Testament to this determination is Sarah Tobias, one of our team, who has had this wretched virus but with the aid of an inhaler pump still intends to be with us at the foot of the mountain to fulfil her dream. We might not be able to climb in October, but we will achieve this epic challenge”
Pictured - Sarah Tobias on a training walk in the Peak District
Sarah Tobias, 51, from Bethnal Green has been a London Cabbie for fourteen years. She has always loved the great outdoors and was very quick to sign up when she heard about the fundraising climb.
Sarah’s training had been going very well and she had just completed a training walk with the other Cabbies in the Peak District, immediately before lockdown in March, when she began to feel ill.
Sarah Tobias, London Cabbie and member of the fundraising Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro, said, “Having COVID-19 was terrible. I was at home isolating and felt really ill. My breathing was really affected, and I was terrified when I couldn’t breathe properly.
Every day we would learn on the TV about the increasing number of deaths and it got to the stage where I was frightened to go to sleep but too tired to stay awake. There are even a few days from that time that I can’t remember at all. It was a very scary experience.”
After two weeks Sarah began to feel a bit better but then went downhill again and after a month was still struggling to walk and got out of breath very quickly. After a training walk at Boxhill, Sarah knew she had to contact her doctor. During the walk she was experiencing a pounding in her ears and couldn’t catch her breath. Her doctor has now tested her with a Peak Monitor Flow (used with asthmatics) and has put her on a Steroid Pump regime twice a day for a month.
Sarah continued, “Having the COVID virus has been a huge set back to my training, but it has not dented my determination to succeed.
I will be joining the other cabbies in Tanzania next year and will do all I can to summit. Nothing is going to stop me, and I will keep going back to the doctor until we can find a treatment that will make me feel more normal. The London Taxi Driver’s Charity for Children does amazing work with special needs and disadvantaged children and I hope we smash our fundraising target.”
Sarah has just started taking the cab out again. She says it is still very quiet in London, but she hopes that things will get back to the new normal soon and the trade will bounce back.
Daren Parr, continued “We keep our fingers crossed that the situation across the world has improved by February next year but if we have to delay again we will But you can rest assured the we are all proud London Taxi Drivers, who will not give up and we will fight for what we believe in both for our trade and our dreams.”
Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro were due to be climbing Meru and Kilimanjaro in October 2020 but because of travel restrictions have had to delay the climb until the next climbing window in February 2021.
To follow their progress visit www.cabbiesdokilimanjaro.com
About Cabbies do Kilimanjaro
After successfully raising £18,000 for The Taxi Charity for Military Veterans in 2019 by losing weight, getting fit and climbing Kilimanjaro, two of the original Cabbies Do Kilimanjaro, Daren Parr and John Dillane, have put together a much bigger challenge for 2020.
Fifteen London Cabbies will fly to Tanzania where Daren and John will climb 4,562 metre Mount Meru before joining the rest of the cabbies to climb 5,895 metres to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The Cabbies do Kilimanjaro team of fifteen is hoping to raise £7,500 for the London Taxi Drivers’ Charity for Children and £2,500 for a children’s community project in Tanzania
Follow their progress by visiting www.cabbiesdokilimanjaro.com
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/cabbiesdokilimanjaro
About London Taxi Drivers' Charity for Children
The London Taxi Driver’s Charity for Children arranges days out in the UK, for special needs and disadvantaged children and provides funding to support children who need recreational, technology and mobility equipment.
Founded in 1928, the charity is funded totally through donations and supported by an amazing group of volunteer London Taxi Drivers who give up their time to take the children and their carers on day trips.
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall is Patron.
For more information, to arrange interviews or to request images please contact
Christina Bowden
Bowden PR
07984 433614
No comments:
Post a Comment