THE ITALIAN JOB 2006

**********************************************************

TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED BY TEAM 69: £1774.57
_________________________

TOTAL AMOUNT RAISED BY THE 2006 JOBBERS:

£90,784.73

**********************************************************

THE ITALIAN JOB 2006

Starting Mileage: 32385
Finishing Mileage: 35033

Total Mileage: 2648


What is The Italian Job?

The Italian Job is a navigational rally through Italy, involving timed check points and special stages. Each team leaves at 30 second intervals, and in strict numerical team order - the aim of the rally is to reach the next check point at exactly the correct time, not one second over or one second under, as you will receive penalty points. Each team is given a navigational rally road book, with diagrams of road layouts and signs to look out for – by following these, you will be led to the next check point, and hopefully on time!

This years rally started in Venice and finished in Brighton, where we received a police escort into the City for the Heroes Return convoy and were welcomed by Mike Cooper. We were awarded finishers medals and certificates and a dinner was then held at the Brighton Metropole hotel to celebrate completing ‘The Job’, and the money that has been raised for charity. The Italian Job supports NCH, the children’s charity, and has been running since 1990 – to date, they have raised almost £2,000,000.

They also donate a small amount to an Italian children's charity each year - this year it was La Nostra Famiglia. We were also asked to bring a few toys which were donated to the children too. If you would like anymore info on these 2 charities, you can find their websites here:

NCH - www.nch.org.uk
La Nostra Famiglia - www.lanostrafamiglia.it/english/who.php


Day 1 – Tues 24 October 2006 – Sussex, UK to Reims, France

Got up & loaded the car ready for the start of our adventure – making our way to the start of this years Italian Job, in Venice. We have to be in Venice between 08:30-11:30 on Friday 27 October for scrutineering of the cars, before being allowed to take part in the rally. I left home at 05:30 and made my way to Chris’, my team mate for this years rally - we then loaded the car up with his stuff and made our way to Dover to catch the 09:30 ferry across to Calais. We arrived in Dover just before 08:00 and were allowed to catch the 08:15 ferry instead, so we drove straight on and the ferry set sail almost straight away! After some breakfast on board and playing in the arcade to pass some time, the ferry docked in Calais around 10:30 local time.

Our adventure on the other side of the Channel has now begun! On our way down to Venice, we are stopping overnight in Reims (France), Luzern (Switzerland) and Padova (Italy). First stop Reims... It’s about a 4 hour drive to Reims, so along the way we found our first Maccy D to stop for some lunch, and experience our first practise at French for this trip! We arrived in the centre of Reims around 15:00 and then spent the next hour or so trying to find the hotel – after going round in circles and seeing most of Reims, we found it... In fact, we had been past it about 5 times! After unloading the stuff we needed from the car and having a rest, we then went out to find some fuel for both us and the car and called it an early night.

Day 2 – Wed 25 October 2006 – Reims, France to Luzern, Switzerland

Today we have around another 4 hour drive to Luzern, Switzerland. After over sleeping a bit, we left Reims around 10:30 and set off for Luzern. We passed through border control into Switzerland, where our passports and driving licences were taken for checking, which delayed us for a bit. We were soon on our way and continued onto Luzern – we struggled to find this hotel too (can you see a pattern here??!), after driving around for about 3 hours, and navigating by longitude and latitude on the sat nav, we found it... Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the fence, in the middle of nowhere, and there was no way in! Off we went again, except by now it was dark and we were hungry – we found a garage to grab a sandwich and then continued our search. We eventually found the entrance on the motorway and arrived at the hotel around 19:30!

Day 3 – Thurs 26 October 2006 – Luzern, Switzerland to Padova, Italy

After the ‘detour’ and extended driving we had yesterday, we overslept again - we eventually left the hotel around 11:00. Today should be a fairly easy day, as it’s only around a 3 hour drive to Padova, Italy. We set off and cruised along the Swiss motorway network, passing through the Alps and around Lake Como, stopping near the Swiss / Italian border for some food. We then continued our journey down to Milan – once we reached Milan, you could definitely tell you were in Italy, as the driving standards changed dramatically!! It’s a case of everyone for themselves at the tolls – when the tolls go from about 10 lanes wide, down to 3, and you are sandwiched in between 3 trucks, all narrowing in towards you, it starts to make you feel uneasy to say the least! Anyway, we made our escape without any accidents and now we were well on our way to Venice. The drive along the motorway from Milan to Padova was pretty easy, keeping up with the traffic and just keeping our wits about us, we passed Monza and arrived in Padova mid afternoon. With Padova only being about an hour away from Venice, it was a bit foggy here, but we found the hotel with no problems at all this time!!! We unloaded the car and then went to find some food – a local Burger King! We got back to the hotel, and then spent the rest of the evening in the bar.

Day 4 – Fri 27 October 2006 – Padova to Venice, Italy

As the hotel in Venice was only around 29 miles away from Padova, we set off around 09:30, which should have given us plenty of time... However, we got a little bit lost and held up in traffic, then found out that there are actually 3 Holiday Inn hotels in Venice! We went to one of them, but couldn’t see any other Mini’s and it was pretty quiet, so I went in to ask if we were at the right one – it turned out that we weren’t, but luckily the hotel had a map showing where the other hotel was. By this time it was around 11:20, so we only had 10 mins to get to the other hotel, as we were off for a tour around Venice at 12:00. I called Freddie and Giulia, the organisers, to let them know we were on our way, but had got a bit lost – after a mad dash along the motorway, we eventually found the correct hotel and arrived pretty much dead on 11:30. We dumped the car outside the main entrance and found Freddie to find out about the scrutineering, but he said not to worry and they would scrutineer the car in the morning – we didn’t even have time to park the car up and unload all our stuff, as we had to get onto the coaches for the short journey to meet the tour boat!

We were given a guided cruise around the islands, with lunch onboard, before stopping off at an island called Burano, which is apparently famous for its lace. We were given 45 mins to have a wander around and then return to the boat, where more food was provided for us. While we were on board, we met up with Andy & Heather P (Team 35), Chris & Jax (Team 41) and Trina & Bex (Team 37). The cruise then continued along to the main island, docking just along from Piazza San Marco (St Mark’s Square) which was featured in the new Italian Job film. When we got off the boat, we were given train tickets and told that our first challenge was to make our own way back to the hotel in Quarto D'Altino, and be ready for the drivers briefing and dinner at 19:30. It seemed like we walked miles, exploring and trying to find the station! In the end, we gave up and hopped on a ‘bus’ – that’s a very strange experience too! We got off at the station, where we met up with Andy & Heather again – the train was delayed, but we got back to the hotel just after 19:00, emptied the car and made our way downstairs for the briefing and dinner, where we were given our first look at the navigational rally road book, which looked very daunting! We got chatting to a couple of the other teams on our table, who were all from the Poole area. After dinner, we were told that any cars that hadn’t been scrutineered earlier, would be done tonight instead of in the morning – we went and found the ‘Dr’s’ (the service van crew) and the car was scrutineered – unfortunately I forgot the V5, so had to get it faxed to the hotel. We also forgot a high visibility jacket, so had to go and find one in the morning. After the scrutineering, we went back up to the bar and finished the night off in there, chatting.

Day 5 – Sat 28 October 2006 – Day 1 of the Navigational Rally

An early start today. We had to go and buy a high visibility jacket, so went off in search of a petrol station that might be open – we found one and then made our way back to the hotel to gear up for our 08:50:30 start time of the navigational rally. We all queued in numerical order, and were flagged off in 30 second intervals, with the first team leaving at 08:00:00. Our first stop was Villa Albrizzi in Treviso – unfortunately on the way, we missed a turning and were the last to arrive! After a short stop, and a small fire under the bonnet of Team 37, Trina’s, car (more explained later!), we were off again – this time our destination was Villa Sandi in Crocetta del Montello. This was an amazing villa, with km’s of cellars beneath the estate – we parked around the villa and were then given a very brief tour, as we didn’t have long to stop before carrying on with the next stage of the rally.

We then queued up for the start of the next stage, which would take us to our next destination – Castel Brando in Cison di Valmarino, where we were given lunch. The castle sits up high in the mountains, and there were lots of nice steep, twisty roads to navigate to reach it – these were very much welcome after the 4 days, 1138 miles of motorway driving we had covered on the way down to Venice! Once we reached the castle, we were instructed to drive to the very top of the grounds, where we were all parked up under a large canopy – it turns out that this is the castle’s theatre, and was also a fantastic photo opportunity, as we were able to stand on the stage and get photos of all the Mini’s! After we had finished lunch, the rest of the afternoon was free to explore and make our own way back to the hotel (about 1 ½ hrs away). Tonight’s briefing and dinner was at 19:30 again, and we also had an auction, where all the money raised would be added to this years total to be donated to charity. In the auction, I bidded on and won a poster of the MINI Challenge race cars, which was signed by all this years ‘Jobbers’ – the poster was entered into the auction by Nathan, aka Jacked Up from KAES MINI Club (thanks Nathan!). There was also a ‘crack’ wax with duct tape auctioned off – the person that submitted it didn’t think anyone would bid, but unfortunately we called his bluff and everyone bidded a quid each, so the deed was carried out in the hotel’s car park - OUCH! Tonight was also optional fancy dress, but it was a bit last minute, so not everybody managed it - hats off to the ‘Drs’ though, as they outshone everybody (check out the pictures)! We then finished the night off in the bar again!

Day 6 – Sun 29 October 2006 – Day 2 of the Navigational Rally

Today is the day that we visit Adria International Raceway. Due to the clock changes, we were allowed a slightly longer lie in today and set off at 09:20:30. We followed the road book to the tee and managed to get into a convoy with 5 other Mini’s, reaching Adria around 11:00, where we were assembled into a queue. Each team then took part in the special stage, which was 5 plastic cups arranged in a slightly random shape – we had to crush them all and cross the finish line again as close as possible to 30 secs. After each team had completed the special stage, we were all parked up and then asked to make our way across to the restaurant for lunch. After lunch we wandered over to the track to see what was going on – it was being used by motor bikes, so we had to wait for them to clear the track before we were then convoyed onto the track for a few laps of honour and some group photos. This was an brilliant experience – 50 Mini’s convoying around a race track!

After a few photos, we were taken round the track again and then led into the pit lane, where we exited the track and were assembled for the next special stage. This time we had to do a figure of 8 around 2 cones and get back over the line within 12 secs – not as easy as it sounds, had to get the DSC off to try and make it as tight as possible! After we had completed the special stage, each team was allowed to make their own way back to the hotel, as tonight is the farewell to Venice and Quarto D’Altino meal. It’s a formal dress evening tonight, so out come all the evening suits, bowties and posh dresses - everyone looked fantastic, and it had bit of a James Bond feel in the air! A couple of screens were setup with all the photos taken so far cycling through on them, and then before dessert, a representative from La Nostra Famiglia, the Italian children’s charity which The Italian Job is supporting this year, gave a speech. After he had finished, a cake was brought round, with the Italian Job logo on it – this was then cut up and served for dessert. We were also given the option of bringing toys for the children which most, if not all, of the teams did.

Day 7 – Mon 30 October 2006 – Day 3 of the Navigational Rally

Well today is the day that we bid farewell to Venice and head for Stresa, and our hotel on the shore of Lake Maggiore. The few days that we have spent in Venice has been fantastic and we can’t wait to go back for the ‘Jobbers’ reunion dinner in March. Our start time today was at 08:20:30 and the route to Stresa takes us via Monza for the next time stop and special stage (and maybe a lap or two of the F1 circuit *wink wink*) – we went slightly wrong towards the start, but soon made up time on the autostrada, infact we managed to keep between 90-130 something for the 60 odd miles! We reached Monza around 10:15 and then all lined up in a parking area beside the circuit – Ferrari had just hosted a Ferrari weekend to celebrate Michael Schumacher’s retirement, which was still being cleared away. After everyone had arrived and passed through the checkpoint, we waited for the safety car to arrive and lead us onto the circuit – we were taken round for one lap, where we then stopped on the starting grid for some photos, and then we were off again for a second lap of the circuit. I don’t think any of us could really believe we were driving round the Monza F1 circuit – it was an amazing experience and certainly something none of us will ever forget, plus it’s something to boast about, that we have driven our Mini’s round Monza!! After 2 laps, we were led through the pit lane and back into the parking area where we parked up the cars and wandered under the track to the restaurant for lunch.

After lunch, we wandered across to the shop for some souvenirs, and then back to the cars to complete the next special stage – for this one, there were two circles of cones and we had to do a figure of 8 around them. Sounds easy, but we had to get around the first circle of cones and cross the line on 7 secs, and then circle the next lot of cones and back across the line on 8 seconds! After the special stage was completed, we then followed our road books to a local MINI dealer (Briancar MINI), which organised the Monza laps for us – the dealership is keen for The Italian Job to return to Monza next year and they are trying to arrange for the teams to spend half a day at the circuit! When we arrived at the dealership, each team was given a goody bag, a buffet was laid on for us and we then had some time to just look around the dealership and chat. When it came to leaving, each ‘Jobber’ was given a box, which contained some BMW goodies and a model of a classic BMW. The dealer was brilliant – even though it was a public holiday, they arranged for one of the MINI’s to have its windscreen replaced and they also looked at Trina’s car, which had had a small fire on the first day! It turns out that Trina’s fan had stayed on, which in turn burnt out, caught fire and then spread up the wiring loom – luckily the fuse blew and the fire didn’t spread, otherwise it could have been nasty. The dealer arranged for his technicians to work on the car until they had fixed it, but it needed more work than they had anticipated – they stripped 2 of their showroom cars to salvage some parts, so that they could do a temporary fix to allow Trina to continue with the Italian Job and get home safely, then liaise with her own dealer to get the problem resolved.

We were then free to make our way to the Regina Palace hotel in Stresa – we caught up with Chris & Jax in the GP and convoyed together to the hotel. We found THE perfect twisty road down to Lake Maggiore, with walls either side to echo the popping and burbling from the exhausts all the way down to the bottom! We then drove along the shore of the lake trying to find the hotel – some people wolf whistled the cars as we burbled and popped past them! We found the hotel after a little bit of searching and unloaded the cars – tonight is another black tie dinner. After we had unloaded the cars, we had time for a quick bevvy in the bar... which was interesting! Jax had an ‘experience’ with her glass on the table – we were sitting there with Andy, Heather, Chris & Jax, when Jax started to laugh, but none of us knew why! She then told us that her glass had ‘moved on its own’ – at first, we just thought ‘how many has she had?!’, but she moved the glass back to where it was, and sure enough, it moved! At first we just thought it may have been because the glass was a bit wet and maybe the table was uneven, but it did it again, only this time in a different direction!!! *plays spooky music*

Day 8 – Tues 31 October 2006 – Day 4 of the Navigational Rally

WOW WOW WOW, where do I start today!!! It has, by far, been the best day of the trip so far! We set off from the hotel in Stresa and assembled in a nearby car park for the start of today’s rally. Our start time today was 09:20:30 and the special stage was just before the start line – it consisted of 2 checkpoints and after crossing the first line, we had to cross the second one dead on 5 secs. After that, we were off! The route took us up and down twisty mountain roads and then eventually back to the lake side road, and onto Turin – driving in Turin was certainly an interesting experience and I’m surprised that we didn’t see many more accidents (just a Citroen Saxo that had been annihilated by a bus & tram!). We navigated through Turin to the Piazza San Carlo, where we were directed to park up in the Piazza – all the locals and tourists came over to look at the cars and take photos! We then collected a lunch voucher and were directed towards a local restaurant for lunch – we had 1 ½ hours for lunch and to explore a little bit – on our way back to the cars, we heard a loud screech and were waiting for a load crash, but when we looked, it was just someone that had spotted a parking space and decided she wasn’t going to let anyone else have it!!!

Everyone was back at the cars for 13:30, when 4 Police motorcycles arrived to escort us to the Lingotto. We were told to make as much noise as possible, as the locals love it, and we also caused chaos – it was just like being in the film!! The route took us from Piazza San Carlo to the Lingotto, giving us a tour round the 2006 Torino Olympic sites – people were coming out into the streets to see what all the noise was and to wave, other cars were joining in with their horns and we all had so much fun, however after 35 mins of horn tooting, some peoples horns didn’t sound quite as healthy as they did when we started! We were taken through red lights, directed not to stop at junctions (although this seems to be normal Turin driving anyway!) and just keep moving. We then reached the Lingotto, where we were lined up in two rows below it – once everyone had lined up, we we’re split into 2 groups and taken up. Ours was the first group to go up – the entrance to the top is a corkscrew ramp, which is inside the building and goes up approx 5 or 6 floors to the roof. We then appeared from beside one of the banked ramps, which is where the car’s appeared from in the film – we all lined up again and were taken for a couple of laps around the Lingotto, along with the Police outriders joining us. Unfortunately we weren’t able to complete a full lap, as the other bank had just been recently tarmac’d, but this did mean that we got to drive on the original surface, a piece of history – the bank’s are a lot steeper than they looked in the film, and we all had great fun! We were then led back down, for the next group to be taken up – the Police were only supposed to escort us from the Piazza to the Lingotto and then leave us, but they stayed and were invited to join us up on the roof. A couple of them did a lap in one of the MINI’s and loved it! After this, they then carried on the escort and took us to the hotel, which is underneath the Lingotto. The hotel is the old Fiat factory and there are lots of hints at this, including an old Fiat car in the restaurant! The hotel is pretty big, and each ‘room’ has 3 rooms (a study, a bathroom and the main room) – there is even a shopping mall!

After we had unloaded the car, we went down to the bar (there’s definitely a pattern here!) and then the evening was free for us to fend for ourselves. We went into the shopping mall, as there were several places to find food and have a look around, then afterwards we went back to the car – we decided to explore Turin a little, as the villa, church and weir that were all used in the film were only about 3 miles away. Navigating through Turin at night was... erm... ‘interesting’! We found our way to the villa first, Villa Della Regina, which is right at the top of a hill that runs up from the river and church – it is currently being converted into a hotel or restaurant by the look of it. We then came back down the hill to the church – the church is right beside the river Fiume Po and Piazza Gran Madre, which is a very busy road junction and the weir is situated just in front of it. We then went back to the hotel to get an early night and catch up on some sleep before our 09:20:30 start for the next days rally.

Day 9 – Wed 1 November 2006 – Day 5 of the Navigational Rally

We have some free time again this afternoon, so I wanted to go back to the villa, church and weir for some better photo opportunities. Also, from the Lingotto on top of the hotel, you can see the roof that the Mini’s jumped across during their escape in the film, and we would have liked to get some photos of that, but unfortunately we didn’t get time. The shopping mall that the Mini’s escaped through is also close by, but we have so much to see and not enough time to see it all!

Today’s rally took us to Castle De Rivoli first, where we had time for a short break and a look around – the castle is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Turin. We then carried onto Fiano, where lunch was provided for us – after lunch, we set off again and, following the navigational rally road book, we were led to Venaria. We had the option of having a tour around a local house that was being restored, or we could use the time to relax – we chose the latter, and opted for a local bar! After this, we were free to make our own way back to the Le Meridien Lingotto hotel – we decided to travel back with Chris and Jax, as they also wanted to find the villa, church and weir, and we also found the archways that the Mini’s drove through in the film. While we were there, we went to find a bar for a quick beer – we had such a laugh in here watching the bar owner and also going to the scary toilet downstairs, in the pitch black!! We set off back to the hotel to get ready, as we had a formal meal tonight, to celebrate our final night in Turin – unfortunately the traffic in Turin was busy and we got back to the hotel with half an hour to spare before the coaches arrived! We were then taken to the restaurant, which was just along the river from the church and weir, and where we had just made our way back from! After the meal, Freddie and a representative from Turin’s tourism board said a few words and thanked us all for taking part in this years Italian Job – we were then taken back to the hotel, where we spent the rest of the night in the bar and chatted. Everybody that we have spoken to during the past week has been really friendly, and it’s as if we have known some of them for ages.

Day 10 – Thurs 2 November 2006 – The Start of the Journey Home, Turin to Dijon

Well today’s the day that we say ciao to the Lingotto and Italy, and head for home :o(

We decided to explore the Alps and enter into France via the Petit Saint-Bernard pass as it was open, which was unusual for the time of year. Chris and Jax were also taking in the pass, so we decided to convoy together – all I can say is wow, what an amazing pass! The climb up the Alps was amazing, with tight narrow hairpins, then when we reached the top, we found the hospice – there were plenty of opportunities for photos on the way up, which we took advantage of! We then carried on along the pass, crossing the France / Italy border and entering into La Rosiere, where there was a lovely St Bernard. After a quick hello, we descended down to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, where we found a small restaurant for some lunch – we found the best pizzas ever, plus we were sitting in the French Alps! After a short stop, we continued with our descent into France and along the French motorways to Dijon. Unfortunately on the way, Chris was pulled over by the Gendarme and fined 90 euros for speeding – we waited for them to catch us back up at the next toll, and then continued our journey to Dijon. We were staying in separate hotels, so followed Chris and Jax to theirs, and made our way to our hotel, about 2 miles away.

Day 11 – Fri 3 November 2006 – Day 2 of the Journey Home, Dijon to Reims

Today we are on our way back to Reims, where we are visiting the Mumm Champagne House for a tour. We set off from Dijon around 10:00 and reached Reims just before 13:00, we were staying in a different hotel again to some of the others, so we dropped our luggage off and made our way to the other hotel, which was about 1 mile away, to meet up for the tour. We all then convoyed to the Mumm Champagne House, where we took some photos, watched a short film about the history of Mumm and were then given a tour – after the tour, we were given free tasters of 2 champagnes and a look around the shop for some souvenir champagne. We then made our way back to our hotels. In the evening, we walked into the town centre to find some food, and then onto the other hotel to join our fellow Jobbers in the hotel bar for a few bevvies.

Day 12 – Sat 4 November 2006 – Day 3 of the Journey Home, Reims to Calais, Calais to Dover, and Dover to Brighton

Well today is our final day on the continent, and the day that we head for Blighty :o(

We were due to meet up with Chris and Jax, and Trina and Bex to convoy up to Calais, but unfortunately we overslept a little and had to play catch up! We just reached the tolls before Calais when Jax phoned to ask if we were carrying any spare fuel with us, as one of the classics had run out on the motorway! Unfortunately we weren’t, but we said we would keep an eye out for services and stop and get some – we carried on towards Calais, but didn’t come across one (typical!)! Jax then called and said not to worry, as the Dr’s had turned up and were towing them to the next services, which weren’t far away. We soon caught up and followed them into the services. Once everyone was sorted, we then paid a quick visit to Eastenders, a duty free warehouse, and had a good laugh at some of the names!

We then carried onto the port, where we all assembled to convoy onto the ferry. Everyone was tooting their horns, and even the ferry’s captain joined in with the ships horn – how cool is that! Once on board, we all headed to the restaurant for a spot of breakfast and grabbed a good old English fry up! Time soon went by, and before we knew it we were docking in Dover – we made even more noise when we all went back to the cars and deafened everyone (no wonder they put us all pretty much on our own, as those ferry’s sure do echo! Hehe). For some reason they let us all off first (can’t imagine why???! Hehe), and with horns still tooting, we exited the port, along with the ferry, truck drivers and other people waiting to board all joining in! We kept up a steady pace to Pease Pottage, with Chris and Jax and Heather and Andy in hot pursuit, and stopped for a quick bite to eat. We then continued onto the assembly point at Albourne, where we met with Sussex Police for our escorted convoy into Brighton.

Sussex Police provided 2 Police cars, motorcycle outriders and an unmarked car, plus the Police helicopter was also flying overhead! At 14:30 the convoy started – we rejoined the A23 just North of Pyecombe, where one Police car carried out a rolling road block to allow us to join the main carriageway safely and keep in convoy. We then continued South to Patcham, where we branched off and joined the A27 Eastbound towards Falmer – another rolling road block was carried out by the unmarked car, to allow us to join the A27 safely. We carried along to Falmer, where we branched off and joined the Falmer Road down to Woodingdean. Sussex Police controlled all the junctions and slip roads for us, so that we didn’t have to stop and could continue through red lights. We had been told to make as much noise as we could, so throughout the convoy so far, there had been plenty of horn blasting, lights flashing and waving – other road users also joined in, and people were standing at the side of the road waving to us! We then crossed Brighton racecourse and headed down towards Brighton Marina, where we joined the A259 and continued along to the Brighton Pier junction, where we turned left onto Madeira Drive. There were plenty of people to welcome us back home, including Mike Cooper who waved us across the finish line with a chequered flag. We then parked up to allow for photo opportunities and to chat to people. Each team member was then given a certificate and medal to congratulate us on completing the Job.

After a short rest and a catch up with friends and family, we headed home to unload the car and freshen ourselves up for the Heroes Return Dinner at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Brighton. We got back to the hotel around 19:00, where we met back up with the other Jobbers and proceeded through to the dining suite we were in. Vicky (Team 101) piped us in on the bagpipes and we were then offered Mumm champagne and chatted, before sitting down to dinner. After dinner, awards were given for various things, including best dressed Mini, and a representative from NCH explained where the donations go to. Afterwards, the music started and so did the dancing! We went to the bar with Chris and Jax and spent most of the evening in there chatting, laughing and reliving some of the moments from The Italian Job. It reached the early hours of the morning, and we were all shattered, so we said our goodbyes and called for a cab home. We thanked Freddie for such an amazing time – Freddie is a really nice guy, and suggested that we should meet up for a drink soon, as we all live locally.

With a memory full of such fantastic experiences, stories, laughs, new friends and much much more, we headed home. Although we have had a lot of fun, we also remember that it has all been for a serious cause – children’s charity. I would personally like to thank Freddie, Guilia, Gordon, The Dr’s aka Tim and Mark, Giorgio, Davide, Dave, Phillipe, all the other organisers, the staff at all the hotels, the Turin Police, Sussex Police, and anyone else that is involved with the organising. I would also like to say a big thank you to Trina, Bex, Nathan, Debbie and family, Andy and Heather and of course Chris and Jax – you all helped make our first Italian Job memorable and added to the laughs! Thank you to our fellow ‘Jobbers’, as you have all been great – we hope to see many of you again next year!

One final thank you has to go to everybody that has sponsored us and helped us reach, if not exceed, our target of £1500 for charity - THANK YOU!

Please click on the photos to view larger images, or click play on the videos to watch them.