Village’s Joel thumbs a lift – to Africa
By Andy Pearson
Hitcher Joel Adams, of Starbucks at Swansea’s Village Hotel.
South Wales barista Joel Adams is to hitch 1,700 miles for charity.
Joel, who lives in Lilac Grove, Baglan, Port Talbot, hopes to raise hundreds of pounds for Link Community Development which boosts education in rural Africa.
The 22-year-old said: “It should be an exhilarating experience. Other than helping a fantastic charity, my big wish is to meet lots of interesting people.
Supportive
“Staff, guests and leisure club members at the Village have already been enormously supportive and I’m up to around £400 in pledges.”
Joel will undertake his hitch next month with Sophie Gulliver, a Plymouth-based friend from university.
They will pay their own way to the ancient Moroccan city of Marrakesh, sleeping in hostels and tents along the way, and have booked flights home from Gibraltar.
Joel plans to record the trip with photographs and through micro-blogging web tool Twitter.
Happy
He said: “We haven’t a clue what route we’ll take – we might even end up going through Italy. As long as a driver’s heading south we’ll be happy to consider a lift.
“There’s no particular landmark I want to see but I’m determined to meet great characters and come home with some brilliant stories and memories.”
Joel’s seven colleagues at the Village Starbucks hosted a fundraising event for his effort. It included face painting and a coffee aroma lab.
Coffee shop manager Catrin Morgan Thomas said: “We’re amazed by what Joel’s doing so we’re right behind him and Link Community Development.”
Adventure
On his adventure of four to eight days, Joel is being sponsored by Swansea business Critical Theory Clothing.
To sponsor him email Starbucks.Swansea@village-hotels.com, phone 0844 847 2970 or donate direct via www.virginmoneygiving.com/joeladams.
Link Community Development www.lcdinternational.org
Tags: Cardiff, Hitch, Link Community Development, PR, PR agency, Starbucks, Swansea, Village Hotel, Wales
