We have focused the fundraising around the village community centre and last year had € 2000 left over after running costs , it was given to the community centre who duly refurbed the showers " sure the lads will be back next year and we need to have it right for them " .
2012 Jason and Christian came over on foot of the stories that were coming out of the event and asked me would it be ok with me if they ran an event like ours in Wales and called it the Taffy Dakar . I said yes only if you keep it real and focus all your efforts on making it open to all and cheap to participate in and make the riders the focus of all the efforts and anything you make goes to some local charity and now you have the Taffy Dakar , London Dakar Isle of Man Dakar . Its probably the hardest thing I ve ever done and its come with a price on a personal level and how the organisation impacts on my young family and my wife but at another level she understands and enjoys the weekend as much if not more than everyone else . Would I change it yes Its changing all the time , but when you have a city guy whose been riding most of his life and has never been in a forest at night on his own on his bike come up to you at 1 am in the morning buzzing from having ridden a tricky track collected a way point and made it back in one run , well then Im back in the Yemeni highlands with me dad and brothers bouncing around in the back of the Land Rover full of excitement " what ’ s going to happen next ". Sharing that buzz that only adventure brings .
" In the spirit of adventure , open to all riders and carrying a message of friendship between all men " - Thierry Sabine 1977 founder of the Paris Dakar