Thanks for stopping by my appeal.

For the last 10 years of so, I had been my wife's carer and as a result of this i have been reliant on state benefits in order to keep my family. I have tried to get work but I have not had much luck in holding down a full time job due to my wife's health issues. In order to make myself feel worthy, I do quite a bit of voluntary community work. I was a member of St. John Ambulance for about 25 years, until it took a direction that I felt uncomfortable with; as a result i left and joined another charity that does voluntary work.

This group is mainly a four wheel drive group, and they help the local communities in the area with marshalling at public events, road closures for carnivals, car parking and vehicle recoveries from rural events etc.

In the early part of 2018, when the bad weather hit, what became known as The Beast From The East, many of the group were out with their Land Rovers and other 4X4 vehicles, taking nurses and carers to work, transporting medicines to those that needed them, delivering meals on wheels and many other tasks that could only be done in off-road vehicles. One member was even tasked to get a couple of registrars to weddings.

I wanted, and still want to do much more, but with my current vehicle situation that's not possible.

I need a Land rover or similar so I can assist within this group during severe weather. Plus other work the group does to help local communities all year round; however I need help getting what I need.

The vehicle i want is, in an ideal world, an ex military long wheel based Defender. The reason for this is that land rover are very reliable if looked after, and the military look after them. Also with the Defender there is the option of a soft or solid back, making it more versatile.

Once I have the vehicle, it will need to be made ready for the tasks for which I want it.  Some of the equipment need includes a winch for recoveries, tow bars and ropes, road safety equipment such as cones and warning lights, and vehicle warning lights.

As I stated , my wife is disabled, and until recently we had a car.  However, recently her mobility has deteriorated and as a result we have now had to 'upgrade'  to a wheelchair accessible van, which is not suitable for most of the work we can be called on to undertake.

Without this appeal being successful, I could, and will, remain a member of this group, but with a 4x4 vehicle I could do so much more for my local communities; after all, they have been looking after my family and myself for quite a while, and I would like to keep putting back what I have received.

Anything raised above the amount i need would be given to the group to help with their funds, as the rely on donations also.