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Dear Visitor,
I first met Clive Bradley, of the Dove Nest Group, at Bansang hospital back in January 2004; he had just delivered a Land Rover ambulance to the health clinic at Sambel Kunda and had decided to visit the hospital whilst in the Gambia. Clive had a tour of the hospital and spent a night there before returning home to the UK. Little did I realise that this visit inspired him to yet again commit himself to helping the people of the Gambia and in particular the hospital in Bansang.
On his return to the UK we kept in touch and during one of our many conversations he asked what vehicle was needed at the hospital. I explained that the SEN staff desperately needed a vehicle to ferry them around the various clinics throughout the Gambia. He immediately agreed to find, prepare and deliver a suitable vehicle to the hospital.
The following is a brief summary of Clive and his business partner, Michael Cosello's, extraordinary story of their Land Rover delivery service to the hospital.
Kind regards,
Anita Smith MBE
The Dove Nest Group Objective - To provide vital support to Bansang hospital and the health clinic at Sambel Kunda
In 2004 we had the simple intention of driving to The Gambia and then, on arrival, selling our car for an air ticket home, however during the planning phase things started to evolve. Firstly we came across the village at Sambel Kunda that were desperately trying to establish a health clinic, then we were told about the Hospital at Bansang which attempts to look after the health care needs of some 600,000 Gambians.
Mmmmm…. So much for the jolly, this could get serious.
Challenge Gambia was born!
We decided as a company, Dove Nest Group, to get behind the cause and offered the clinic at Sambel Kunda our support by committing to provide them with a Land Rover Ambulance; to say they were enthusiastic is an understatement!
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Daz, Clive and Meg in Sahara
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Donating Meg to Clinic
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Arriving at Bansang
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Seeing the difference that Meg made gave us the inspiration to attempt the challenge again but this time we were keen to do even more.
Since our first trip we have stayed in contact with Anita and in 2007 we contacted her again to see how we might be able to help, the response we got back was one of absolute encouragement and enthusiasm (no going back then). Anita explained to us that the SEN school was a great success but the students struggled getting back and forth to placements etc as transport was difficult to secure, this then has a knock on effect to staff morale and ultimately staff retention.
So it was agreed that we would provide a robust people mover to help with transportation. We settled upon ‘Bert’ a 1997 Land Rover 110 Station Wagon ex UN and very robust!
Bert’s Adventure Begins!
On Friday 11th Jan 2008 we set off for Bansang Hospital on a cold, grey and damp day - a total contrast to what lay ahead. An early hiccup with the cam belt almost ended the mission before it got going, Bert obviously still needed some persuading to set off on the 4500 mile journey. A helpful garage in Northampton set upon Bert with four incredible mechanics who got him back on the road in less than two hours. Racing on to Portsmouth for the ferry everyone was finally able to relax with a well deserved single malt whisky. Bert’s performance from that point was impeccable – cruising through the ice and snow of France, the heights of the Pyrenees in Spain, and on to Gibraltar by Day three.
The West African Coast
Passing through the chaotic borders of Morocco, and then descending south along the West African coast. The scenery became more barren and desolate as did the standard of living. Camping along the coast was made picturesque by the beautiful beaches, awesome shipwrecks and huge waves rolling in from the Atlantic sea. Driving through Africa at night was a challenge and best avoided, the roads go from 20ft wide down to just 8ft wide without any warning, with just sand on either side – add to this the many cars with no lights and the very large lorries – the journey became “interesting”
The Sahara
Following a unique and unforgettable camping experience in the Sahara – Bert found himself having to help out another Land Rover by towing it 180 km through the Sahara (and a mine field) to Nouadibou for repairs.
Crossing the various borders became more of a routine and we were greeted by the usual formalities of handing over ‘gifts’ to grant ease of passage. Long drives and sand storms did not hamper the beauty of driving through the gigantic sand dunes of the Sahara.
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Clive, Mike and Bert in Sahara
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Bert racing through the Sahra
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Crossing the river Gambia
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The Gambia and Bansang Hospital
Descending further into the Gambia the two worlds of Meg and Bert came together when we visited the clinic at Sambel Kunda. Meg looked well and was still providing a valuable service to the clinic and the local area.
After the world’s worst roads, on the 27th January, Michael and Clive arrived at the hospital to be met (surprisingly) by staff and patients clapping and cheering. An amazing day with the full tour of the hospital included and many remarkable scenes would confront us and be etched in our memories for ever. We spent much of this day hand shaking and meeting many, many incredible people.
The staff made it abundantly and passionately clear that Bert will make a huge difference to so many people’s health and lives in Bansang and the local area.
The experience was an incredible one for Clive and Michael who will always be indebted to those who helped or sponsored them for the challenge and the work with the hospital.
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Bert meeting the local children
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Arriving at the Hospital
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Handing Bert over
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(DOVE NEST GROUP: The Ambulance)
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