Industry Colleagues Race For Charity

Three media industry colleagues have come together to race across Europe in a spruced-up banger for charity.

Team YOVO - You Only Volvo Once! - began the 3,000-mile Scumrun on Thursday 8 May in a car they modified themselves, in a bid to raise £2,000 for pregnancy and baby charity Tommy's.
The Scumrun saw 100 teams drive across Europe for four days, navigating to secret locations that were only revealed on the day. The rules of the challenge included picking up a car for no more than £500 and adapting it to get it road-ready for the 3,000 mile journey.
YOVO is made up of three friends who met on the Tonmeister course at the Institute of Sound Recording at the University of Surrey in Guildford. One member, Mike Common, now works in the automotive industry and was able to provide connections to get the team's car, a 1989 six-door Volvo named 'Ulrikar' ready for the rally.
Ben Davenport of Dalet and another team member were able to call on contacts in the industry to acquire sponsorship from Dalet, AmberFin and London-based New Media Research (NMR). Also offering support were Design Original and Mustard Solutions, who support many vendors at industry tradeshows such as IBC and NAB. Other team sponsors include Wire Broadcast, Modrus, Trams Inc and Object Matrix. The team also had great support from local businesses in the Basingstoke area.
"Tommy's is a fantastic charity and I'm really excited to be fundraising for them this year," Ben Davenport said. "The Scumrun is a real challenge and we've spent a lot of time getting our car ready for the trip. I'd confess that once it was road worthy, we spent most of our effort make sure that the interior will be comfortable, but we're confident that it should last 3,001 miles so fingers crossed we'll make it home."
Tommy's funds medical research into premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage, as well as providing support and advice for parents-to-be. The charity is hoping that Scumrun teams will together raise £100,000 towards helping save babies' lives.
"The scumrun is a once-in-a-lifetime challenge and we hope that the team have a journey they'll never forget," Chief Executive of Tommy's Jane Brewin said. "We're delighted that they are choosing to fundraise for Tommy's, helping us to support families all over the county and save babies' lives."
Team YOVO roared back into Basingstoke on Monday 12 May having completed the entire 3,000 mile trip without a hitch. They have raised over £1,500 towards their target; however, the team is still seeking additional sponsorship to meet their challenge.

To donate to Team YOVO visit www.teamyovo.org.uk

www.tommys.org

(IT/JP)