On the 25 October at 06:00, 26 teams of University of Bath students left campus to take on the adventure of a lifetime – getting from Bath to Paris without using any money or their phones.
Full of enthusiasm, a bit of apprehensive and in their best fancy dress, the participants left Bath in the early hours of Friday morning. Mario and Luigi, the Teletubbies, Ratatouille and Batman were among those embarking on the journey!
Some chose to hitchhike the entire journey, not spending a single penny, some opted to fundraise along the way, kindly asking members of the public to collectively pay for their coach and train fares, whilst others opted for a mix of the two.
All the students were incredibly successful travelling within the UK, getting from Bath to a variety of ports (including Dover, Portsmouth, and Newhaven) and many opting to head to London. Molly & George even opted to head to Bristol Airport, trying their luck with getting a free flight… After getting passed through four different managers, each sounding more promising than the last, they were disappointingly stopped by the very last person who refused to allow them onto a flight! Back on the road and towards a ferry port for them. For many groups, they arrived at their planned destination in the UK by midday and then it was just a case of getting across the Channel. Easy right?
This was where the real challenge started for our students, as many continued try hitchhiking their way onto a ferry from a mile or so from the ports, hoping a friendly passerby would pick them up. For almost all the student groups trying to get a ferry, it did prove a real test of their resilience and determination. The teams who finally secured lifts spent hours attempting to hitch before they were successful. Other students were less fortunate, spending nearly six hours at Dover without success. After some last-minute calls from the SU, the participants who were stuck at Dover were all able to get a free ride on a coach which was boarding the ferry first thing Saturday morning. Phew!
Incredibly, a couple of the teams who managed to hitch a lift onto the ferry then managed to secure a lift all the way from Calais to Paris! With the promise of an additional free hotel room and extra points getting them closer to the grand prize, a mini race to Paris between those teams had begun! Eventually, Edward & Laura were the first team to arrive at the Eiffel Tower, arriving at 23:00 on the Friday, with Tom & Gus and Oli & Alex arriving within five minutes of each other shortly after.
The following day, the teams arrived quick and fast. The pairs arriving still donned in their best fancy dress, delighting the visitors under the Eiffel Tower who came for the landmark but stayed for the crazy outfits the students of Bath brought to Paris. A special mention to Archie & Jack who won Best Dressed, as they were dressed in complete explorer outfits – very fitting!
The journey wasn’t simply about getting to Paris - there was a long list of challenges for students to complete along the way. The overall winner would be the team that had the most challenge points overall, not simply the team that arrived first. Some of the best challenges included getting on a radio show and talking about our wonderful Top Two charities – a challenge which two of our teams managed to complete! Some teams also managed to speak about the event and the charities over a train intercom, delighting the passengers with details of their trip and even collecting a few more donations along the way! Other challenges included taking a selfie with someone wearing a black and white stripped top, getting an Instagram shoutout from another SU, or creating a handshake with someone called Michael. The students really threw themselves into the challenges and have a great time – hopefully the public that got involved with them enjoyed helping the students too!
Despite the struggle and feelings of hopelessness, all the students persevered and showed real guts and resilience, which meant that ALL the students made it to Paris by Saturday night – just in time for a big Paris social. What was incredibly heartwarming, was that all the students said that they had a great time, the people they met along the way were incredibly lovely and really made their trips. Katherine & Amanda met a wonderful woman who drove them all the way from Warminster to Dover (missing a day of work!), and she would have driven to Paris if she had her passport! Another person bought Amy & Emma train tickets (£80 each) from Calais to Paris, whilst a fellow University student from France gave Tom & Gus a lift from Calais, dropping them right outside the Eiffel Tower. Peter & Morgan managed to get a ride in a police car (for all the right reasons)! And a special mention must go to Archie & Jack for hitching a lift in a Bentley, definitely winning the fanciest ride of the weekend. The number of strangers who simply gave up their time and money to help the participants was incredibly heartwarming – thank you!
Now for the most important bit – the fundraising! In the build up and along the way, the students had to fundraise for RAG’s Top Two charities: Voices and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. They had a minimum fundraising target of £250, and everyone absolutely smashed this target, many exceeding, in some cases more than doubling! A special shoutout to Sophie & Noemie, Theo & Ewan and Alfie & Kelsie who were our top three fundraisers, raising £1,075, £1,083 and £1,463 respectively. Combined, all of the teams raised a whopping £20,500!
Once all the teams arrived, the challenge evidence was inspected, points assigned and totted up, revealing our top three teams…
- Sophie & Noemie
- Lara & Eleanor
- Tom & Gus
Thank you so much to all the teams who took part in the Race to Paris and made this event truly incredibly. Not just for the amazing amount of money raised for two wonderful causes, but the resilience and passion that everyone showed, making this event truly one of a kind.
To find out how you can participate in raising money or donating time for great causes while a student, check out Volunteering and Fundraising.
Thanks to our sponsor Popworks!
