Blog : interviews

Your names:
Simon Webster and Graham Buckle

Your team name:
X R8-ed

Combined age:
82

What makes your team special? :
A combination of steely competitiveness and disarming charm.

How many times have you done the galleryrally?
4

What made you want to take part?
It looked like a good way to waste time having fun and raise money for charity along the way.

What was your highlight of 2012: St Tropez?
The same as every year – amazing scenery; great banter with old friends; meeting new friends and the excellent challenge of the clues and competitions.

What did you do to raise your fundraising target?
We ran our own mini-rally in Jersey in May. We set 15 clues around the North and West of the island, culminating in afternoon tea in St Brelade’s Bay Hotel with a prize ceremony and raffle.We ran a stall at a village fete in the UK, selling smoothies and we have also got sponsorship for running 10ks, half-marathons and marathons!

What advise would you give to someone thinking of doing a galleryrally?
Go for it! You can have a lovely driving holiday through France, make new friends, challenge yourself intellectually (and physically!) and raise lots of money for two very worthy causes in the process. What could be better?

Your names:
Adam Dawson and Chris Smith

Your team name:
Close Encounter (see what we did there?!)

Combined age:
90!

What makes your team special?
As relative novices we are keen to learn from the more experienced rallyers, so what we did was got a really fast car and then followed people a lot! Seriously however, Chris and I were at school together, we know each other really well, know what each others strengths and weaknesses are and can get along without it ending in tears (btw it was Chris’ design skills that built that paper concorde that won us the prize this year

How many times have you done the galleryrally?
Twice – but we are definitely up for more!

What made you want to take part?
Meeting new people (I am relatively new to Jersey), having fun, driving fast (well not too fast obviously!) and seeing some of France’s countryside

What was your highlight of 2012: St Tropez? 
There were a number of highlights, The Hotel in St Tropez, the two Bens swimming in the middle of the night, Driving up Mont Ventoux would be our top 3

What did you do to raise your fundraising target?
We used our corporate contact to get sponsorship and we also have people in the Close office doing various fundraising activities, dress downs, sponsored slimming etc!

What advise would you give to someone thinking of doing a galleryrally?
Do it! You will have great fun and meet some great people. Get organised early, the fundraising target is very achievable if you don’t leave it all to the last minute.

Your names:
Karl Moss / Neil Boughton

Your team name:
The Mad Natters

Combined age:
72

What makes your team special?
Umm, us?

How many times have you done the galleryrally?
First time

What made you want to take part?
Karl’s wife Natalie sadly passed away earlier this year. Natalie spent her final weeks with Jersey Hospice and we wanted to do something to remember her and recognise the amazing support they provided.

What was your highlight of 2012: St Tropez?
So many memories, meeting great people, awesome food, a few cheeky drinks and a lot of laughs.

What did you do to raise your fundraising target? 
Offered advertising space on the Camper Van in exchange for lots of money!

What advise would you give to someone thinking of doing a galleryrally?
You don’t need a super car to do it and stay an extra day at the last hotel, you’ll need it!

What was your team name?
Molly

What is your combined age?
99yrs

What made you team special?
It had been a long time since we had time away together.

How many times have your done the galleryrally?
This was our first rally.

What made you want to take part?
Supporting focus 12 and a chance to get the car out of moth balls.

What was your highlight of the rally?
Spent 3 days in st Tropez at the end of the rally.

Fundraising?
Still on-going

Any advice?
You need a good sense of humour

What are your names:  
Nigel Elliot & Stephen Warnes

What is you team name:
Black Ink

What is your combined age: 
Scary – 114

Your speciality: 
Complete lack of talent in solving clues

How many times have your done the galleryrally:  
Twice

Why do you go:  
Love the driving and the company

What was your highlight: 
Following two Lotuses up Mont Ventoux and driving back down

Fund Raising: 
Lazy – got my company to sponsor

Any advice:  
Great fun GO FOR IT

Your names:                                                                                  
Geoff  Blackstone (Driver), Chris Blackstone (Navigator)

Your team name:                                                                             
Equipe Pierre Noire

Combined age:                                                                                
118

What makes your team special?                                                       
Father and son “bonding”!

How many times have you done the galleryrally ?                                 
5

What made you want to take part?                                                  
We are both somewhat petrolheads and enjoy the treasure hunt nature of the rally visiting small towns and villages via mostly minor roads and discussing the days events with the other competitors over a bottle of wine and some rum.

What was your highlight of 2012: St Tropez?                                  
Watching all the demented cyclists in lycra struggling up Mont Ventoux as we zoomed past.

What did you do to raise your fundraising target?                              
Wrote charming letters to all friends and acquaintances

What advise would you give to someone thinking of doing a galleryrally?
Do it, do it, do it. Lots of fun, no worries!