Wednesday, 25 January 2017

CHARITYTASTIC


Like Smashy and Nicey, the cheesy old disc jockey characters portrayed by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse I do like to do my “bit for charidee”.

So that would probably go some way to explaining why I, along with quite a few other learner drivers were to be found standing in a windy car park last Wednesday with our instructors awaiting the arrival of the previous leg of the Big learner relay for Children in Need, so that they could hand Pudsey Bear over to our convoy of dual controlled vehicles who would be escorting him from Strood to the Isle of Sheppey.

Hang on, I hear some of you cry, you’re still a learner driver after all this time?

Yes dear readers it’s true I’ve still yet to make the transition from student to full time menace on the road.

 I finally plucked enough courage to put myself in for my practical test during the summer holidays and took it last month however an altercation with a hill start on a mini roundabout in Hempstead put paid to my pass certificate dreams so here I am back in the learner driver seat for the time being.

 Fingers crossed though with my next test being booked up for a date around Christmas maybe I might be legally allowed on the road by myself by the turn of the New Year.

So anyway on with the story,with Pudsey and his light up learner box installed on the top of the lead car bedecked in  all its multi coloured dots finery and with our large group of yellow eared personnel attracting some curiosity from those walking across Rochester bridge we all made our way back to our vehicles, started our engines and filed our way out of the car park to proceed onwards with our journey.

Third in line of the L plated fleet, my driving instructor Amanda and I laughed and joked our way like a Medway version of Thelma and Louise through the trip that took our motorcade up out of Strood , through the Medway tunnel  and along all the back streets of Rainham , Sittingbourne etc to reach our destination on the Isle of Sheppey.

The weather though cold stayed as bright as our moods and apart from a few stops along the way where being learner drivers some of us got a bit left behind when we weren’t able to all get over some of the roundabouts at the same time we more or less maintained our procession till we reached the climax of our journey.

Pulling into The Aviator pub car park  in Sheerness where the next chapter of Pudsey’s escorts awaited, selfies were taken to upload to the events Facebook page and with a quick handover of the box from vehicle to vehicle the convoy made its way back out on the road for its journey onto Whitstable then Ramsgate .

It was so much fun and for a good cause , I would do it all again , however I’m not planning to still be a learner driver by this time next year so it looks like I’ll have to find another way to help those who really are in need .

 

 

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