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Press release issued 16 November 2012
A trio of students from the University of Bristol ‘escaped’ 798 miles to Venice as part of the Jailbreak charity challenge, helping to raise thousands of pounds.
The winning team, called Jailbait, managed to travel an impressive 1,284km (798 miles) and reach the Italian city by hitchhiking through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy to arrive just after 8pm on Sunday.
The victorious team comprised Hannah Oliver, Liam O'Shea and Ethan Katzenberg – all Computer Science students.
Hannah said: “We lucked out and found an ex-lecturer driving machine who drove all the way from Dover to Venice with no food or sleep. It felt amazing to reach Venice. We busted out a few victory beers then the realisation set in that it was midnight on Sunday and we were a ferry ride away from anywhere to stay.
“Again, we were lucky and found some amazing Australians who put us up for the night. We found out we had won as we were pulling into Venice, it was such an amazing feeling. The thing we took away from the whole experience is how generous and helpful people can be to complete strangers. A big thanks to everyone who helped us along the way.”
The current total raised for charity stands at £2,270.23 but donations are still being collected as the teams make their way back to Bristol.
The Jailbreak record for furthest distance travelled was set by Mary Spender and Emma Blott (Team Bieber) in March 2011 who made it all the way to Perth, Australia.
For the full list of results, visit the UBU website.
The Jailbait team: Hannah Oliver, Ethan Katzenberg and Liam O'Shea
We found out we had won as we were pulling into Venice, it was such an amazing feeling. The thing we took away from the whole experience is how generous and helpful people can be to complete strangers. A big thanks to everyone who helped us along the way.