Paul Rivlin, a former student of the University of Leicester, is taking part in a five-week Endurance Rally Association Challenge, driving from Peking to Paris to raise money for the SCAD research project at the university.
Paul and his team-mate Richard, will be driving the 13,500km (8,500 miles) from Beijing to Paris, through 13 countries, in their vintage 1935 Alvis Silver Eagle car, Emerald. They will travel through the Gobi Desert and across Siberia to raise money. Paul and Richard started the trip on 12 June at the Great Wall outside Beijing and will finish 36 days later with a drive into Paris to cross the finish line in Place Vendome on 17 July.
Paul said: “I’m paying my own costs for the rally and donating a minimum of £10,000 to this appeal. I shall match any funding up to a further £15,000 to raise the £40,000 target to help this research programme.”
You can follow Paul’s journey with Emerald via his online blog. There are some great photos of the car, the story of a breakdown and how the car got back on the road, as well as a whistle-stop tour of tourist attractions along the way – it’s a great read!
The SCAD UK and Europe research portal is an initiative of the NIHR Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit and is part of an international collaboration of patients, doctors and scientists to undertake research into this condition. The research and clinical content is reviewed by a team led by Dr David Adlam, a senior lecturer in the Leicester University Department of Cardiovascular Sciences.
More than 400 SCAD patients have signed up to take part in the the research project and nearly 100 patients have so far been seen by the research team. We need to find out what causes SCAD, how it can be treated, as well as if and how it can be predicted or prevented. To do this the research project needs more funding, so Beat SCAD is very excited about Paul’s endeavours to raise much-needed funds for this vital research into SCAD.
“It’s great to hear about Paul Rivlin’s Endurance Rally Association Challenge in support of the SCAD Research at Leicester,” said Beat SCAD Chair Rebecca Breslin.
“Driving a 1935 Alvis Silver Eagle from Peking to Paris sounds very glamorous, sort of romantic… but when I think back to when my husband owned a Triumph Spitfire, I remember how we ‘looked the part’ in the old classic but the maintenance was demanding and we missed the advances of a modern car – especially on a long journey!
“Wishing the very best of luck to Paul, Richard and Emerald – thank you for supporting the SCAD project.”
