Mongol Rally Update

• 3 Ambulances driven up to 10,000 miles on Mongol Rally, sponsored by Chevrolet, will make huge impact in new roles!• Mongolia’s only Casualty Hospital now has fully equipped high-spec Ambulance for the first time• Maternity hospital now has an Ambulance for the first time!

Three Ambulances driven to Ulaanbaatar by teams taking part in The Adventurists’ Mongol Rally 2008 have been donated to hospitals and health organisations and made history for Mongolia’s only Casualty Hospital.

The teams set out from London and Madrid on July 19th for an adventure that also makes a difference and raises money for charity. They faced up to 10,000 miles, 15 countries, several deserts, mountain ranges and the open steppe of Mongolia, but now their vehicles are now set to have an enormous impact in their new lives in the country’s capital.

The newest Ambulance driven by team ‘Renault East to West’ from Spain is incredibly modern and contains high specification medical equipment including defibrillators, making the donated vehicle the first ambulance in Mongolia with such a wide range of emergency capabilities.

Donated to Mongolia’s only Casualty Hospital, their Deputy Director Mr. Munkhbat said:

"This is not just an excellent emergency Ambulance but I want to stress that it is also equipped with all the equipment we need to respond to emergency situations, so I extend my thanks to the Mongol Rally and the team from Spain that made such a kind donation."

Tom Morgan, founder of the Mongol Rally and organisers The Adventurists, who was at the handover ceremony in Ulaanbaatar, said:

“Now the Mongol Rally has come to a close we have started to distribute some of the vehicles. It was a real pleasure to be able to donate the Ambulances to where they are much needed.

“Mongol Rally teams have been able to provide Mongolia's first casualty prepared ambulance to the casualty hospital and the first ambulance at all to the maternity hospital. It’s fantastic news and the teams should be very proud of their achievement and the excellent work these vehicles will be able to carry out.”

The second Ambulance, driven by team Gobi Ambulance from UK has been donated to the Maternity Hospital in the Bayanzurkh district of Ulaanbaatar who currently have no patient transport services of any kind.

This donation means that they will be able to respond to the transport needs of their patients for the very first time, marking a new period in the reach of their maternity healthcare provision.

Mat Booth, who drove the Ambulance from London to Mongolia, said:

"After driving 8,700 miles to Mongolia we’d become attached to our ambulance and leaving it in the Mongol Rally compound we all wondered where it would end up.

“When we received news from Mongolia about the donation and that it would go to great use transporting mums-to-be in Ulaanbaatar we were delighted. It is the perfect end to team Gobi Ambulance's story”

The third Ambulance driven by team Arrr Taste from UK was donated to the Bayanzurkh District Disabled Peoples Association. Once again this is the first ambulance the association has received and they will use it to provide assistance to all the home-bound disabled in the district, providing transport to essential services and vital medical assistance in their homes.

The donation of these three Ambulances has been carefully co-ordinated to ensure the vehicles can be maintained and operated to their full capacity for years to come to deliver the maximum benefit for the people of Ulaanbaatar.

In the case of the casualty hospital the Ambulance and its specialised equipment is likely to save lives that may have otherwise been sadly lost. The combined effect of the vehicles will be a staggering improvement to the services the organisations can offer their patients.

About the Mongol Rally mongolrally.theadventurists.com

The world is just a little bit too safe. Gone are the days where the edge of the map called you forth to discover what lay beyond - satellite maps and GPS have it laid out before you leave the armchair. What if you want a bit of unknown in a world full health and safety measures?

Imagine yourself in the middle of the gargantuan Kazakh desert; your car slowly being shredded by the dirt track your map says is a motorway, completely lost hundreds of miles from civilisation with no back up crew to rescue you. Just you, your wits, and your increasingly brown pants.

The first rally was in 2004 with just 6 cars. In 2008 251 teams took part and simultaneous launches took places in London’s Hyde Park, Madrid’s Bernabau Stadium and Milan’s Castello Sforzesco. There is no set route, no back up or support of any kind along the route, and no guarantee of getting anywhere near the finish line.

The Mongol Rally isn't just about adventure; it's also about raising huge sacks of cash for some great charities. Each participating team raises a minimum of £1000 for the official rally charities. In 2007 the Mongol Rally topped £200,000 and in 2008 the final total is going to come in at over £250,000!

About The Adventurists.theadventurists.com

The Adventurists is run by the League of Adventurists International Ltd, an award winning company based in the UK with gangly tentacles that stretch around the world. A force for global mischief and global good one might say. We're into saving the world, so every adventure raises buckets of money for awesome charities. Right now we're getting close to hitting our target of raising a million quid a year.

We reckon there is adventure left in the world; we just have to try that little bit harder to find it. We have to go out of our way to make things difficult and stupid. We hold what we like to think are proper adventures, the sort where you have to use your own cunning; no guides, no rules and only a small chance of making it to the other end with all your limbs.

It's not just about adventure, The Adventurists are hell bent on saving the world as well as making it less boring, so all our adventures raise heaps of cash for charity.

The Adventurists is all about getting out into the world, getting yourself into as much shit as possible, then hoping to God you can find a way out. Glorious mayhem if you will.


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