Bournemouth rollerbladers doing Europe to reach charity cash target (From Thisisdorset)

Bournemouth rollerbladers doing Europe to reach charity cash target

3:00pm Sunday 2nd September 2012 in Latest By Nicky Findley

THEIR mission is to raise £10,000 for charity by early December, so Joel Robinson and Jonny Bassett are literally having to get their skates on!

For the pair who are both from Bournemouth, will be travelling 3,000 miles across Europe from Amsterdam to Istanbul on their rollerblades.

“We thought about trying to set a new world record which would have meant skating more than 4,000 miles. But there are so many regulations, we thought we should just focus on having a good adventure for a good cause,” explains Jonny, 22.

“I’m looking forward to visiting places like Croatia and Albania as I have never been there before. I think the Alps will be the most challenging part of our trip as we will be climbing around 2,000 metres but I think the downhill sections will probably be more dangerous!”

The two who met at a local church in Christchurch, want to raise as much money as possible for Christian Aid.

“I have just graduated and Joel has just finished a teaching job in Kenya so we thought we would do it while we had the opportunity,” adds Jonny.

They will each be carrying 30 litre backpacks containing their camping equipment and other essentials including several sets of spare wheels.

But Jonny admits they haven’t had much time to physically prepare for their expedition. “The plan is to take it easy at first and build up our core strength from there.”

To follow their progress or to support their cause, visit skatejourney.com.