Lookers in conjunction with Nissan has provided cancer charity Daft as a Brush with a Nissan Navara as part of a coastal challenge that will see its founder Brian Burnie trek the entire length of the British coastline.
From its North-East base in Newcastle, Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care provides a free transport service to and from the Freeman and RVI Hospitals for patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment – some from as far afield as the Scottish Borders, North Yorkshire and West Cumbria.
And now Brian is preparing to take on his biggest challenge yet by undertaking a 2-year, 7,000 mile walk around the Great British and Irish coastline, with the aim of raising £4m for the charity.
Brian also hopes to use the expedition to promote the charity further afield, with the ultimate aim of rolling out the service across the UK and setting up additional bases in other major cities. It is hoped that this expansion will eventually allow the number of patient journeys that the charity carries out each year to reach around 1 million.
To help Brian and his team along the way, Lookers Corporate and Rosedale Leasing in conjunction with Nissan have loaned them a fully striped-up Nissan Navara, which will act as a support vehicle and transport one of his team’s main generators.
The vehicle, which sports the charity’s memorable logo and colours, will form a vital part of the challenge, as the generator will provide much of the power to Brian and his walking team’s living quarters - the ‘Bluebell Bus’, a converted double decker bus that has been donated by Stagecoach.
Lookers has enjoyed a good relationship with Daft as a Brush over the years, having supplied the charity with a fleet of 30 people carriers, and only recently supplied it with a Renault Traffic 9-seater passenger carrier.
On collecting the Nissan Navara on behalf of Brian, Dave Harrison, Communications Manager at Daft as a Brush, said:“Lookers have been absolutely brilliant in their support for us over the years and providing us with this Nissan support vehicle will be a huge help during our challenge. With so many miles to cover, it’s vital that we have a reliable vehicle that can take on the most treacherous of terrain, which is why the Navara is perfect. As a trusted supplier, we will be working with Lookers to achieve our ambition of extending our vital services around the county.”
Matthew Eyres, Commercial Vehicle Development Manager at Lookers Corporate, said: “We have a great relationship with Brian and everyone at Daft as a Brush and we’re proud to be able to support him in his coastal adventure. It’s a fantastic charity and we look forward to helping it extend its reach to other parts of the UK.”
Supporters of Daft as a Brush in the North East can cheer off Brian and his team as they take the first steps of their coastal challenge on Monday 5 March at 10am from The Baltic, Gateshead Quayside, Millennium Bridge.
