Extract’s taken from my final report broadcast on BBC World Service. The World Service had followed our journey from the beginning and I made 4 live reports along the way. This was recorded and broadcast 3 weeks after our return. - Darren Leonard

The journey started with a send off party in London. We were finally on our way.

Slow but steady progress was the order of the day.

We arrived in Dover at 23.30 for our ferry at 00.15. Due to poor weather conditions the ferry was delayed by 4 hours.

Eventually on board we headed to the bar for a coffee and an hours sleep.

No sleep and 6 coffees later we arrived in France, a 2 hour crossing had taken 4.

It was dark and raining and the battery was flat. After turning off the lights we push started the fire engine and was on our way.

We discovered the fire engine leaked in the rain, leak is maybe an understatement, water poured in through every section of the truck.

We spent some time duck taping everything and anything we could, including most of the doors and windows.

Daylight was breaking and the rain kept coming. We stopped only for fuel and coffee and drove all day. France in the rain and through the misted up windows of our Fire Engine passed by almost without note.

Until we were passing through Bordeaux at about 18.00, when a nasty grating noise and a clanking of metal parts, forced us to pull over.

After a quick inspection, the rear axle was found not to quite as good as when we had left England.

We drove a few miles using only the front wheel drive until we found somewhere to investigate further.

A supermarket front entrance was dry and someone had left the lights on.

With rear axle striped and in a thousand pieces, axle casing ripped open and no spare parts available we headed for a motel at about midnight.

Next morning it was off to the Bordeaux Fire Station to see if they might be able to help find some spare parts.

A young fire fighter David, said he could help and took us round to the workshop.

He them produced 80% of the parts we needed.

Though grateful, we were unable to fix the problem without more spares.

Thinking David had gone home we were left pondering the future of our attempt to cross Europe and the Sahara Desert in the time available.

We where already 18 hours behind schedule, and with such a slow vehicle would we ever make up the lost time.

Maybe we could have the parts couriered out to us on Monday or try and buy locally but the age and model of our fire engine made this difficult as it was not a popular vehicle in France.

Disillusionment set in and we were considering the phone call home to say it was all over.

David then returned dripping in oil and carrying the parts we needed.

He had taken them from the vehicle he had driven to work in that morning.

A true hero.

A fantastic man and someone we will never forget.

He refused to take any money for the parts and just wished us good luck with our trip.

With a working axle patched up with David’s parts and some liquid metal we where back on the road.

We pulled out of the fire station at 17.30.

Heading for the border with Spain.

We crossed into Spain at 02.30 and just kept going.

We stopped to put out a lorry fire at a truck stop but that’s another story.

We hit the outskirts of Madrid around 9.00am.

Rush hour and they have quite a good one.

We had to be in Gibraltar to catch up with the rest of the rally by midnight and it wasn’t looking good.

It should have taken us 48 hours to trundle across Spain, we only had 18 hours before the ferry departed.

A few fuel stops later and 3 hours before the ferry we arrived at Gibraltar.

At least it had finally stopped raining.

Having had no sleep for some time now.

We crashed out for a couple of hours, then it was time to meet the others and catch the ferry to Morocco.

A quick and simple crossing led us to customs and immigration. This has to be seen to be believed.

Hundreds of people all trying to read signs and fill out forms in Arabic. No help, just people being paid next t nothing and carrying big guns!

4 hours later and a bottle of Vodka as bribe, we were let in.

Everyone was meeting at a campsite in Rabat that afternoon, a meeting was to be held to map out the rest of the trip.

We rolled at midnight having missed the meeting. Some fellow ralliers were standing round a campfire and drinking beer.

We joined them for a while and finally got some sleep.

Next day it was on to Marrakech. Big open markets, food to die for and a whole 24 hours rest for the vehicles and drivers. (Party time)

We turned up later than everyone else. (a pattern forming here)

We put our tents up and started to cook.

A glance at the map and some reflection of what we had done so far soon had us realising that we needed to leave before everyone else.

It was a 1000 mile's to the next camp site and Christmas Day.

We woke early and packed up.

Hitting the road at 08.00 we drove, and drove, and drove and then drove a little further.

Up over the Atlas Mountains and through to the Western Sahara. The views over the mountains were incredible the people friendly and helpful everywhere we stopped.

Finally into the desert.

The views of the desert soon became mundane.

But we made Christmas day by driving non stop for 72 hours.

Now it was time to party and party we did.

Christmas Day became Boxing Day and the party was still in full swing.

Sunrise we went for drive. (Well what else do you do) food, Fuel and water supplies replenished.

The big drive across the desert was ahead of us.

No roads, a minefield the size of London to cross and soft sand, very soft sand.

The Islamic State of Mauritania. Where?

No real problems at the boarder, the guard was amused at the vehicles trying to cross the desert.

Our guide spoke no English and our Arabic is of a similar level.

So happy with knowledge that he would point and shout at us we were on our way.

It’s hot in the desert and cars started to have problems.

Overheating and tyre’s blowing were common.

Some didn’t make it, people and equipment were distributed among the other rally members.

And vehicles were left for the vultures.

Our first night in the desert was great we were a little behind our schedule but we could make it up the next day.

The fire engine was now at home off road.

The only times we got stuck was pulling others form their sandy graves.

We were finally setting the pace, and catching up on time lost through breakdowns.

Then a sand storm blew in and stopped us in our tracks.

We couldn’t see 5 metres in front and the guide lost his way. We had to sit it out.

After the storm had passed it was time to clean out the fuel systems and air cleaners, all chocked with the Sahara sand

. Total down time was 6 hours and now it was getting dark,

We had reached the place we were supposed to have been the night before.

Next day the sun was shining and the mood was buoyant, off we went.

If we could get everyone on to the beach where the sand was hard, and if the tides were on our side, we could make up our lost time. And still be in our Hotel for New Years Eve.

The decision was taken to give it a go.

Most cars got stuck getting on to the beach but now we were on our way,

Getting off was harder than getting on, but we all pulled together and everyone made it

After a short 200miles of potholes the size of double decker buses, (you drive in and drive out of them.)

We arrived for New Year celebrations in Nouakchott with 10 minutes to spare.

It was a fairly easy drive through Senegal with only a few simple breakdowns and armed escort to deal with.

Into The Gambia and we were welcomed at the boarder.

We stopped to meet the local people who all seemed to be expecting us.

The fire truck was handed over to The Gambian Fire Service at a ceremony attended by Government Ministers and top brass from all of the Emergency services.

Roger Bakurin, Head of the Gambian Fire Service told us the Tender would go into use straight away and would be saving lives.

The tents and equipment given to us by The Rotary Clubs and several Scout Groups in London where handed over to Alieu Bazsham.

The Chief Scout of the Senegambia Region of Africa.

We handed him some 40 tents and cooking stoves.

As well as nearly 100 sleeping bags and other tools and equipment.

He promised all would be used by the scouts and thanked all who donated.

A few weeks after our return, Roger Bakurin phoned to tell us that the fire truck had reached a fire no other tender could.

It saved over 40 lives, many of them children and women. He said "sometimes we should all just be proud of ourselves for whatever we do" and asked me to pass on the gratitude of his nation to everyone involved in the project.