So, how do you organise a celebrity motorbike tour to a remote part of Africa in aid of charity in just three months? An enormous amount of hard work, a huge amount of help and a healthy dose of stress, and that’s just the start.
Account Manger at Capitalize,The BrandFan© Agency, Rosie de Stacpoole is the project manager of Get On Africa and has been leading the team who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to put on this amazing trip.
“Our adventure in Africa officially begins on 4th April when we fly to Johannesburg and then transfer to Lesotho, but much of the work will have been done by the time we step on the plane. We've already come a long way in a very short time since this project really started motoring in January. It’s been a long, long few months but all so worth it and we now just can’t wait to get out there.
“First of all it was crucial to get the right celebrities involved. We chose to work with The Casting Agency who are leaders in this area as we wanted to make sure that we were working with celebs with a genuine belief in the cause and were prepared to take on the challenge of learning to ride a motorbike.
“In Gethin, Darren, Jill, Shobna and Oliver, we definitely got that. In fact we have got five celebrities who are more passionate about the trip than we could ever have hoped for.
“They didn’t have long to learn everything, but they’ve stepped up to the challenge with amazing determination, energy and enthusiasm. Now they have experienced life on two wheels, they can’t wait to get out there and do their bit for such an important charity as Riders for Health.
“We deliberately wanted celebrities who hadn’t really ridden before so we could demonstrate how with the right training it can be relatively simple to learn. However, it isn’t just riding on the road that they’ve had to learn, its also off-road riding which is a whole new skill.
“In Lesotho, the roads are incredibly poor so bikes are a vital tool in delivering much needed medical supplied to a country where 1 in 4 adults have HIV. What this means for our celebrities is that they’ve had to learn and be prepared for some really challenging conditions.
“To their credit they’ve all thrown themselves in head first and are absolutely loving it. Its been tough going along the way but now most of the training is done there is a feeling of wanting to get out there and start working with Riders.
“A special mention must go to all the instructors at RJH, Metropolis, On Yer Bike and the Wheeldon off road school in Devon who have been completely invaluable in this. They have developed such good relationships with the celebrities, making them feel at ease as well as pushing them beyond their limits.
“The whole project so far has been one massive team effort and while there are too many people to single out we I must also mention Rev’it who have supplied all the kit to make sure the celebrities have the best protection in Lesotho.
“Hopefully, when we return we’ll have raised real awareness and funds for the Riders for Health, as well as changed some perceptions about the role of motorbikes in society and encouraged people to take up the free lesson available to them.
When will I be able to relax? Possibly on the flight on the way home, I’ll let you know.
Don’t forget to follow us and our celebs as we trek across Lesotho on Twitter! Get On Tweets, Gethin Jones, Darren Gough, Jill Halfpenny , Shobna Gulati and Oliver Mellor - and remeber to keep checking back at the Get On Africa Homepage for updates!
