Barrock truckers set for Emerald Isle adventure
FAR north trucking enthusiasts are hitting the road next week in a bid to visit every lifeboat station in the Emerald Isle to raise money for the RNLI and the Sperrin Cancer Unit in Londonderry.
Dan Mackenzie and his wife, Dolina, from Barrock, are looking to build on last year’s successful charity run from John O’Groats to Land’s End by taking their American Peterbilt truck to more than 40 lifeboat stations in Ireland – both north and south – this month.
"We’re doing all of them around the coast – there’s more than 40 of them," Dolina told the John O’Groat Journal.
"Once I get the door locked and my bum on the seat I’ll be fine but there’s a lot of work goes into getting there."
Three trucks will be leaving from Caithness as the couple’s friend from Inverness, Peter Hendry, will be getting behind the wheel of Dan’s Renault Magnum, and Colin Lawson Transport Ltd, Aberdeen, has lent a truck to Dunbeath’s Donald Campbell.
Also joining the adventure is Thurso lifeboat’s press officer, David Brown, as well as country-and-western singer Trevor James Mair, from Lossiemouth, who will be debuting his new song "Trucking Dan" at the Giant’s Causeway. On arrival next Tuesday in Belfast they will be joined by lorries on different stages of the run by members of the Ulster and Irish vintage truck association who have been putting up posters highlighting the dates the convoy is visiting the lifeboat stations in different areas.
Dolina praised the local firms that have supplied the essential diesel to make the trip possible, with donations also coming from as far away as Fraserburgh.
In addition, P&O Ferries has agreed to ship the three trucks across from Cairnryan to Larne and back for free, which
Dolina said has made the whole trip feasible.
"Otherwise we couldn’t afford to do it," she said. "It’s no good collecting all this money and having to spend it on diesel and ferries. Everything we collect we want to give to the two causes."
First stop is the Enniskillen lifeboat station in County Fermanagh after which the convoy has been invited to join in a local county show.
From there the group will be moving in a clockwise direction along the coast,
stopping in towns and villages along the route.
As well as the Giant’s Causeway, other highlights include a plan to stop at the Northern Ireland parliament and the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter unit at Sligo which carries out rescues both north and south of the border working with the RNLI.
Dolina explained the mini-Peterbilt that could be seen at Wick Gala last weekend is making the trip to Ingliston this weekend for Truckfest and it will also be making the trip to Ireland.
It was built by Darren Maclean, of Castletown, and driven by his son, Jordan, at the gala.
It will be making an appearance alongside Dan’s real Peterbilt at the first-ever Truckfest Ireland in Belfast on August 18 and 19 after the lifeboat trip is completed on August 16.
Last year, Dan and Dolina’s team raised £4000 for the Thurso branches of the RNLI and Macmillan Cancer Support during their John O’Groats to Land’s End run.
Donations for the Ireland run can be made via PayPal by signing in and giving to 2012truckrun@gmail.com
