A coastal convoy of Volkswagens will help raise funds for two charities, writes John Collins
A colourful convoy of vintage Volkswagens will be winding its way around the coast of Ireland next week on a 1,200-mile trip to raise funds for two children's charities.
It is expected that about 10 camper vans and one Beetle will make the entire journey as part of the Round Ireland with a VeeDub event, with other enthusiasts joining in for shorter legs of the trip. Participants are drawn mostly from the members of the Type 2 Ireland website for fans and owners of classic VW vans.
The convoy will be stopping off at major towns throughout the country to shake their buckets for the Share a Dream foundation and the Centre for Children's Happiness in Cambodia.
The event starts in Dublin on Sunday and will follow a route that hugs the coast as closely as possible. The convoy will arrive on August 27th at the Irish Kit and Custom Motorshow, which is being held at the National Show Centre near Dublin airport, having completed an anti-clockwise circuit of the island.
The idea for the event came about after member Tony Collins visited the Centre for Children's Happiness (CCH) orphanage in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. Returning to Ireland, Collins suggested on the Type 2 Ireland website that a challenging drive could be arranged to support the work of the charity and eventually the idea of Round Ireland With a VeeDub was born. Collins is currently in Cambodia with his partner Jacinta working at the CCH orphanage, and returns to Ireland tomorrow to go straight on the run.
Volkswagen camper vans are known as Type 2s to differentiate them from their little brothers - the iconic VW Beetle or Type 1. Type 2 Ireland isn't a club in the traditional sense, but rather a loose collection of members who discuss issues related to their vehicles at www.type2ireland.org.
There are currently more than 500 registered users of the site and its weekends away regularly attract more than 20 Volkswagens - everything from restored 1960s split-screen models to the latest fully equipped campers which sell for about €40,000.
Rather fittingly, considering the event came together through an online community, the drivers will be maintaining a mobile phone blog of the round-Ireland trip at http://moblog.co.uk/blog/67sundial, where their progress can be tracked.