A fundraiser who transformed a Fiat Doblo bought at auction for £925 into a campervan has completed a 1,100-mile journey across four countries in just 72 hours to raise vital funds for the NSPCC.
David Warren, from Staffordshire, celebrated his 40th birthday in January and decided to set himself a fundraising challenge when he realised this year also marked the 40th anniversary of the NSPCC’s Childline service. Last week, he set off from Childline’s Nottingham base and drove to Germany to complete a lap of the world-famous Nürburgring racetrack before returning to the UK.
David said: “I was excited from the moment I left Childline's headquarters at 7am, but there was definitely some pressure too. This was the first proper test of the van, and although we'd worked incredibly hard on it, there was always that thought in the back of my mind: ‘What if something goes wrong?’
“Thankfully, the van was absolutely faultless throughout the entire trip. Considering where it started, that was a huge achievement in itself. In fact, she didn't miss a beat the entire journey. We covered more than 1,100 miles across four countries and the whole trip only used two tanks of fuel, which was incredible. For a campervan that started life as a £925 auction purchase and had been built largely by ourselves, it exceeded every expectation and proved just how capable it really is.”
David said he experienced support along the journey from strangers in Dover and Belgium, despite the language barrier. For one overnight stay, his host was so impressed by the challenge in support of Childline that they waived his accommodation fee. He said: “That was an incredibly kind gesture and one that really stuck with me. Complete strangers were getting behind the challenge simply because they believed in the cause.”
Sadly, due to track rules, the campervan was not allowed to drive on the Nürburgring, so David hired a car and an instructor to complete that element of the challenge.
David said: “Crossing the finish line wasn't a specific moment on the track. For me, it was pulling back onto my driveway at home knowing we'd completed the challenge successfully. We'd travelled through four countries, conquered the Nürburgring, made it home with hours to spare and, most importantly, helped raise awareness and money for Childline.”
Through donations and raffle ticket sales to win the campervan, David has raised more than £6,000 for the NSPCC and hopes to reach £10,000 to support the Childline service.
David said: “Looking back, it was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. The van exceeded every expectation, the people we met were incredible, and it made all the late nights, setbacks and hard work worthwhile.
“The support from the public, businesses, sponsors and our online community has been nothing short of amazing. Most importantly, every pound raised helps support Childline, a service that receives a contact from a child roughly every 45 seconds. Knowing that the challenge could help even a small part of that work made every mile worthwhile.”
Amanda Synnott, NSPCC fundraiser, said: “This was an incredible fundraising challenge, and everyone at the NSPCC is hugely grateful to David and everyone who helped support this brilliant idea from day one.
“It’s free for young people to contact Childline, but answering and delivering each counselling session costs around £4, so every pound raised by David’s amazing fundraising challenge will go a long way to helping support children across the country.”
