Lockdown fails to put the brakes on Longton couple who took staycation to the extreme in the name of charity

Longton couple Julie Kline and Dave Hird have just ‘returned’ from the overnight trip in their VW campervan, which was completed in the name of charity Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

Chiropractor Julie, 49, and IT specialist Dave, 50, have so far managed to raise more than £800 for the charity, which helped Julie overcome cancer in 2014.

She said: "I've been threatening to do this for some time.

“We bought our 10-year-old campervan, Wanda, about year and a half ago with plans to travel the world in her. The pandemic has put the brakes on what we’ve been able to do so far but in between last year’s lockdowns and restrictions, we managed some lovely little holidays in Norfolk, the Lakes, Northumbria and Yorkshire.

“Like many people, we’re desperate to get on the road again - so desperate we thought we’d take a mini break in Wanda to help Rosemere and have some fun with our family and friends by inviting them to join us virtually."

She added: "One Friday I just decided to do it. Every year I do a fundraiser for Rosemere, such as a run or triathalon, but last year I did nothing.

"So I thought, if I can bring some positivity and smiles with my madness, then I will."

In order to persuade more people to sponsor her, during her time in the campervan, Julie decided to steam Facebook Live videos every two hours.

They included naming the van, discussing essentials of camper-vanning, a chilli con carne cook-off where Dave dressed as a cowboy and she dressed in traditional Mexican wear, and a pop quiz with a disco ball.

The couple had an audience of 229 for the cook-off and just putting up Wanda’s roof had 168 viewers.

Julie said: "My initial target was £100, but before we'd even started we'd got £50. By Sunday morning we'd got £400 or £500 and people have kept dropping donations off and donating online.

"We're absolutely blown away by it all and so grateful to everyone who has donated."

She added: "It was hard work but a good laugh in these challenging COVID times. And hopefully, it won’t be too long now before we can go a bit further in Wanda.”

To add to Julie and Dave’s fundraising total, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/julie-kline2