Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

It is nearly 200 years since Birmingham opened its first
medical school which is why it is so exciting that  2017/18 will see the launch of the city’s second - Aston Medical School. Medical schools have the ability to improve public health in the communities in which they are founded, and with Birmingham having health outcomes that are considerably poorer than the rest of the UK (twice the level of childhood mortality), this is a problem that Aston are tackling head on.

Aston Medical School will support 20 scholarship places to enable students from the most deprived areas of Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country to be able to study medicine and become doctors. Aston is working alongside 39 local schools from the areas with the highest index of deprivation, to teach, train, mentor and support students that otherwise might not consider a degree in medicine.

By supporting this Campaign you will be joining me in raising funds to provide facilities and support the first cohort of students.

Peking to Paris is very much a ‘rush of blood to the
head’ moment when I read an article on the Peking to Paris Rally. The Rally is a recreation of the 1907 challenge issued by the French newspaper Le Matin, "What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?" I then asked my neighbour, and now driving partner Richard, who is a Birmingham trained Paediatrician, if he’d be interested and when the reply came back a resounding yes, there was nowhere to hide and so without even having a car, we were committed.

Now having found our 1936 Buick and done a quick mechanics
course, as well as a couple of practice Rally’s, we are ready for the
grueling 13,695 km course, which starts on June 12th in China before travelling through Mongolia & Russia after which there is the (hopefully) slightly easier terrain of the home leg through Europe finishing in Paris on July 17^th

I am using this to promote the launch of Aston Medical School, which launches in 2017/18. The School already has the full support of the local NHS hospitals and over 80 local GP's. Visit my blog at http://pekingtoparis2016.blogspot.co.uk/ to see how I'm getting on looking out for the Aston logo on Rhubarb on Custard as it travels halfway across the globe. 

I aim to raise £1 for every km we cover – with all proceeds going to Aston’s Medical School, so please do help me support Birmingham’s next generation of doctors.