http://www.mdspatientsupport.org.uk/forum

Please take a moment to check our website and Virgin Money Giving page for this amazing fundraiser launching on the 27th November.
David and co-driver Vicky are driving a Mini Countryman car to the Arctic - all in help to raise awareness of MDS and Leukaemia.

Another member of MDS UK will post plenty more details shortly - but here is the link - if you have not yet seen it:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/mini2thearctic
Please spread the word, send the link to your friends, neighbours, colleagues, bosses - your involvement will make an enormous difference to the amounts we can raise.
Thank you
Sophie
Patient Liaison

Start date 27th November 2010 approx time 10am - location Arden Maidstone Mini Dealership - http://www.ardenmaidstonemini.co.uk (for details look under the heading About us, local events) The car will leave at approx 11am.
The car complete with graphics is looking fantastic and hopefully we will soon post the official publicity shots taken at BMW Headquarters. David is making final preparations for this amazing arctic challenge which will take them over 6,000 miles, to their goal of Nordkapp in Norway. The live road cams show that the roads in Finland and Norway are already snowed over with temperatures at -30 degrees. MINI UK have arranged for the car to be fitted with studded tyres in Malmo, Sweden. The Swedish MINI club have agreed to meet up with David and Vikki enroute once they reach Sweden.
The first BMW publicity shot has now been posted on this site. We can only but hope that the TV Stations will cover, I have certainly tried.
We hope that you might be able to join us on the day look out for our MDS Boards and of course the car. MINI UK have even said they will provide bacon butties ! Whilst it is a trip to the Arctic, we never expected snow showers in UK.

A BIG CRY FOR HELP to all users of this Forum

If you are an MDS sufferer or a friend or relative, you will completely understand what a devastating diagnosis this can be. I have personally derived a good deal of support and comfort from other MDS patients through this website and from the Forum meetings, of which I have now attended 3. Then there is the lobbying for NHS funding for drugs and research into the disease. None of this comes without a cost; hence the need for fundraising.

If everybody who comes on here (and there are lots of you) could give just a little and ask your friends, we can easily reach this target. It stands at £1,600 today and only 5 days left to go.

If you are a taxpayer, you can make your money go further (and deprive the taxman!) by using Gift Aid for you donation. It's really easy to do. Just click on the link here or paste it into your browser.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/mini2thearctic

Best wishes

Chris

Many thanks Chris for all your efforts and support

The donation page will remain open until the end of January 2011

For the first 5 days of MINI 2 the ARCTIC - pls look at David's live blog with pictures

www.baylissracing.com/arctic

2 amazing individuals helping to raise awareness and funds for MDS Patients.

Hi All

Have been following progress on this site and what David and Vikki are doing is really scary!! Having just experienced some dreadful snowy weather here in the South-East of England, what we had was just a mere sprinkle compared to what they are driving through. Have a look yourselves and any MDS patients or families might want to sponsor them as the Virgin giving site is open for a while yet and it's all for our benefit -to lobby for more research, drug treatments on the NHS and provide support for MDS patients and their families.

Chris

Thanks Chris, for following their journey on www.baylissracing.com (Home) they need all the support they can get and would welcome any messages from home left under their comments section (daily blog with pix)

Day 12 has been the worst so far from the Russian border to Karasjok in Norway. After an hours drive the weather closed in and it soon became a full on snow storm. The pictures are amazing. All the other traffic vanished but they bravely carried on. They must be mad !

Please support them.

Day 14

David and Vikki have made it to Nordkapp safely and are now on their way back. Pls take the time to visit their blog and stunning pix on www.baylissracing.com (HOME)

They are two remarkable individuals in their 20's determined to make a difference for others.

Pls support them by ensuring that they raise as much money as possible. They are very aware that MDS UK Patient Support Group is a much smaller charity and are keen to raise not only money but awareness for patients with bone marrow failure.

Further info on the Members Contact section

Thanks to the IT expertise of Andrew, it is now possible to look at the Events section and click on David and Vikki's daily blog with pix.

Please help them to reach their target.

David and Vikki are close to raising 3k please help them to break this barrier.

Some good news, the forward planners for BBC South East hope to film a piece about this amazing journey on the 23rd Dec.

David and Vikki are working hard to beat all the elements and get back ahead of schedule.

This is just the sort of publicity we need.