A SCOOTER enthusiast from Barry who has raised thousands of pounds for charity by completing long-distance rides on his Vespa GTS 250 is calling on the public to help him as he prepares to take on his toughest challenge yet.
At 6am on Monday, 1st July, Jason Ude, 53, will leave King Square, Barry to begin a mammoth three-day journey to Istanbul, Turkey, where he will spend three days before making the return trip, and he hopes to arrive back at his starting point at 5pm on Wednesday, 10th July, by which time he will have travelled a total of 4,057.6 miles.
Jason plans to leave Barry and head to Folkestone before taking a LeShuttle to Calais, and from there he heads to Stuttgart in the west of Germany where he will spend the night.
The following day, he will travel through Austria and Slovenia before arriving in Croatia, where he will sleep in the country’s capital, Zagreb.
On the third day, Jason rides through Serbia and Bulgaria before crossing the border into Turkey and after travelling a further 100 miles, he will arrive at the Holiday Inn in Istanbul.
Jason will spend three days in Turkey to recuperate and enjoy some sightseeing before embarking on the return journey to Barry.
Jason believes the journey will require a total of 44 tanks of fuel at a cost of £1,980, and he is asking local people and business for help in covering his expenses: “This is by far the biggest ride I’ve taken on and I want to raise as much money as possible for the British Heart Foundation, which is a very important cause to me for personal reasons. I’m going to need help from local people and businesses to help cover my costs, particularly in terms of fuel.
“I’m prepared to give them a plug, if they’ve got a banner they want me to hold up for a photo when I arrive in Istanbul, or anything else I can do in return, that’s absolutely fine.
“Barry people are good and kind-hearted, and while I know money is tight for lots of people at the moment, I would greatly appreciate any help they can give me.”
Jason has already carried out a number of scooter rides for charities, including the Three Nation Capital Charity Scooter Run, where riders make a 956.5 mile journey from Cardiff to London to Edinburgh and back in less than 24 hours. He has completed this three times.
In February, Jason made a 388-mile trip to London and back to raise money for the RNLI in memory of his long-time friend Richy Tutton, who had worked for the organisation for more than 20 years until his untimely death last year.
On 21st March, Jason’s fundraising efforts were recognised with a special presentation at RNLI Barry Dock Lifeboat Station where he was given a tour of the building and was shown around the new Shannon class £2.5 million all-weather lifeboat, which arrived the previous weekend.
Jason attended Romilly Primary School where he first became interested in scooters at the age of eight. He then went on to Barry Comprehensive, where he met Richy, who became a friend for more than 40 years.
During the last decade, Jason has used his passion for scooters as a way of raising money for good causes: “I’ve lost a number of people who are very dear to me over the years, and others close to me have experienced illness, and I like to do what I can to help charities, particularly those that are connected to those people in some way.
“Over the years, I’ve raised money for Breast Cancer Now, Welsh Air Ambulance, Teenage Cancer Trust, Help For Heroes, Sarcoma UK, Marie Curie, RNLI, Throat Cancer Research and now it’s the turn of the British Heart Foundation.
“I’m sure I’ll have a lot of fun along the way and I’ll keep people informed with developments on my Facebook page, but for me to help the British Heart Foundation, I firstly need the community to give me some assistance in terms of covering my costs to make this incredible journey happen,” he said.
To get in touch, please search for Jason Ude’s page on Facebook or contact him via Messenger.
- Cowbridge’s Three Fields are saved after ‘incredible’ support
- Join the Foodbank walk in Barry
- Well-wishers raise funds for Barry businesswoman
⭐ All of our social media in one handy place – here
Former Barry office building transformed into vital new homes
Prolific thief banned from entering shops in Barry
I’m proud that all parties agreed on children in care plan
WHEN you elected me in May, I said I had come to listen and to…
Royal Welsh highlights the role of the rural economy
Parent may have to lose job for school run
Double victory for Pencoed cricketers
