Molini, Italy Flood Disaster Fundraiser

Friends, Molini needs our help!

Anka & Sven Martin here (along with Adrian Nash from Riviera Bikes & the whole community), reaching out to the mountain biking community for some love & support after a very special place we call home, was hit by a natural flooding disaster on Friday 2nd October 2020.

The beautiful Argentina Valley in Liguria, Italy has been hit hard by a massive storm last night, leaving behind a trail of total destruction. Major roads & bridges have been washed away by the raging rivers, leaving many villages unreachable, completely cut off & people stranded. Houses were flooded & destroyed, cars swept away, tree's uprooted & many businesses destroyed beyond repair. Shuttle vehicles & trailers have been lost along with a complete garage with trail & bike tools. I can't even imagine what it's done to our beloved mountain bike trail network in the valley - one of the biggest draws for visitors to towns like Molini, Andagna & Triora which were already suffering big time due to the complete absence of tourism this season thanks to COVID. 

I know there are so many of you out there who have a special connection to this valley & its amazing people and trails. Many of you with the most amazing memories of riding holidays here & who love it just as much as the locals. We need your help & support to get Molini back up on it's feet so we can all enjoy the beauty of this place once again. I know this year there has been so many fundraising pages doing the rounds, but if the thought of Molini & this valley brings a smile to your face & a sparkle to your eyes, please help out with anything you can to bring the life back into the village and get these wonderful people set up again to continue with their businesses & livelihoods. 

At this stage we need to clean up the carnage & the mess before we can start rebuilding the valley. The money will go towards paying for tools & equipment to aid in the clean up, to provide food for the volunteer groups doing the work and to try and salvage any of the remaining mountain bike trails that remains & for the volunteers to rebuild and maintain these trails. The awesome new kids playground needs to be rebuilt & the town will need to be beautified once more with flower boxes. I have no idea what the cost of all of this will be at this stage, but every penny will go to good use, that much I can guarantee. 

And then lastly, when we're back on our feet (which we will be) we need you all to come back to play in our little slice of paradise, to eat & drink endless Prosecco's & swim in our beautiful rivers again, creating new rad memories with your mates.

Thank you from the bottom of everyone's hearts over here for helping out - it really does mean the world to this small community.

Everything is going to be Tutto Bene, okayyyyyy!

Much love from all of us in the valle.
x

***This GoFundme has been set up by Anka and Sven Martin Who split their time between New Zealand and Molini. They have been returning to Molini each year since their first visit years ago and have now also chosen to call it home. As part of the international MTB community they have brought many people to visit the region they fell in love with.  All the funds raised will go directly to the community, split for different repair, rebuilding and re-beautifying the town and in particular the bike hub and MTB trails that were destroyed. A MTB club/association will be set up and a committee of community members will control the funds dispersal where it's needed most.