Keoghs trio set for epic charity road trip

A three man team from Keoghs, are gearing up for their second HBC/AGS Gumball Rally challenge this week, having raised well over £2000 for charity last year.

Partners, Asim Butt and John Gibson, have teamed up with Senior Maintenance Engineer, Steve Cawley, to convert his BMW into a fundraising ‘Irish Green Machine’ for the event’s third year, which comprises of a 300 mile road trip around the Republic of Ireland. With the event as a whole having raised £118,000 since its inception in 2013, the team are aiming to collect another impressive sum for charity whilst enjoying some spectacular scenery along the way.

This year’s drive will see all proceeds divided between the Gumball Rally’s three supported charities – the Rainbow Trust children’s charity, Papyrus (who help prevent young suicide) and St Luke’s Hospice.

Heading to Portmeirion today (Thursday 25 June) from the firm’s Parklands office in Bolton, the team then travel to Holyhead the next day where they catch the ferry to Dublin. The following two days will see them motor across country to the west coast with a stopover at Galway before heading south to Killarney. From there, the route takes the participants back east to Wexford and the ferry back to the UK mainland.

Keoghs partner, Asim Butt, commented on the upcoming road trip: “We’re absolutely delighted to be invited back for the second year running by the Gumball committee. 2014’s event was a huge success and we were blown away by the generous backing we received. Nevertheless, we’re hoping to beat last year’s total over the coming days and enjoy some Irish hospitality along the way!”

Fellow Keoghs team member, Steve Cawley, a veteran figure in local motorsport circles, also highlighted the contribution of Horwich company, Express Banners, who kitted the Keoghs car out with its eye catching graphics: “For the second year running, Express Banners have really delivered by providing us with free signage and the car looks fantastic. It’s also great to see the Gumball Rally becoming an established fixture on the calendar and we’d like to thank everybody who’s supporting us. This year we’re driving my lovingly tendered BMW 728 1A which, without tempting fate, should ensure we have a relatively smooth ride through the Irish countryside”