Wigan father-and-daughter dynamic duo to drive across India in tuk-tuk challenge

Bekah Bamber, 38, from Platt Bridge and Peter Perks, 72, who now lives in Burscough, fly out to Dehli in September to make their way to Gangtok, northern India where they will take part in the annual Rickshaw Challenge.

The pair will have just 14 days to complete the the 2,600 mile roadtrip, with added stops to see heritage sites along the way – not on a hand-pulled rickshaw but in a tiny motorised tuk-tuk – with limited supplies and nowhere booked to stay.

Mrs Bamber said: "I’ve wanted to do it since I was about 18 but I could never find anyone daft enough to do it with me, but finally, I convinced my dad as something to do before we die.”

The Rickshaw Run is a charity adventure journey held yearly by The Adventurists across different countries around east Asia and is undertaken by anyone who’s bold enough to do it.

The rules are that you have to raise at least £500 for their chosen charity, Cool Earth, which combats the climate crisis, and entrants can also choose to raise money for their own charities. Mrs Bamber and Mr Perks have chosen Wigan and Leigh Hospice and Queenscourt hospice in Southport.

Mrs Bamber said: “We wanted to choose charities close to our hearts and the community’s also.”

They are hoping to raise at least £500 for each charity with a positive, “go big or go home” attitude. Over the next five monthsuntil they embark on their adventure, they will be documenting their fund-raising progress via vlogs and social media pages. They will also record and post daily pictures and videos of their expedition for people to follow while their journey.

They have to be there two days before to go through just one day of driver training and one day of mechanics training and must reach the finish line in Fort Kochi by September 25.

Mrs Bamber said: “They literally just hand you a tuk-tuk and say ‘see you in two weeks’."

They can be sponsored at: www.justgiving.com/team/arewethereyetindia and followed on social media:

Facebook: Are We There Yet - India

Instagram: @arewethereyetindia

YouTube: Are We There Yet? – India

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