The Fiat Seicento Challenge is on

Five men from Tullamore and the surrounding area are hoping to tempt a sixth on board to take part in a charity effort that will see them drive to Rome and back over ten days next August.

Dubbed ‘The Fiat Seicento Challenge’, Chris Guilfoyle (21), David Carroll (19), Silvio Mizzone (22), Leon Keegan (22) and Keith Devine (22) are hoping to raise up to €60,000 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin with the challenge that covers more than 5,400km.

Between now and a planned departure date of August 19, the group hopes to hold one fundraiser each month as well as source three Fiat Seicento cars for no more than €400 each for the trip.

The trip is a way of doing some good while at the same time having some fun, the men have admitted.

“We wanted to come up with a way of raising money and having a bit of craic as well,” Chris explained.

They decided to raise money for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin in part because of Chris’ experience of the good work that’s done there.

Chris’ happy and healthy nine-year-old brother had heart surgery in the hospital aged two, and again aged three and aged five. More recently his two-year-old cousin has attended the hospital with Kawasaki disease, an autoimmune disease that sees blood vessels throughout the body become inflamed.

The men have planned a route that will see them visit London and Paris on the way to Rome, and hope to spend just €250 on fuel for each car for the journey.

A number of fundraisers are planned between now and then. The first - a five-a-side soccer tournament - will take place on Saturday week, January 25. Teams of seven players aged over 15 are welcome to turn up at Kilbeggan astro-turf pitch on the day for registration at 10am, while the first game is planned for 11am sharp. The cost is €7 per person.

You can follow ‘The Fiat Seicento Challenge’ on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Fiat-Seicento-Challange/1409127442663919.