5 minutes with...Nathan Kift, and his brother Craig Jackson

We caught 5 minutes with Nathan and Craig before they set off on their charity trip from Gloucester to Venice in a Smart Car. The family are from Cardiff and you can find out more about their trip at www.smart2venice.co.uk. Please donate whatever you can and help this worthy cause.

Firstly, tell us what your charity trip is inspired by... and the very important reason you're doing it?
In August last year my wife fell ill whilst 7 months pregnant, suffering from a condition called preeclampsia, this meant my son, Archie, needed to be delivered 2 months early, weighing only 1lb 15 ounces. He spent 7 weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit at Gloucester Royal Hospital. We are driving to Venice to raise money for the ward.

How is Archie doing now? He, and the whole family, must owe a debt of gratitude to the unit that cared for him...?
Archie is amazing! He's doing really well. Quite simply, the Special Care Baby Unit saved his life, and we owe them more than we could ever raise.

When are you embarking on your trip and how long do you estimate it'll take?
We leave for Venice on the 4th April, and the trip should take us 10 days (everything going well!) We will be writing a daily blog, and uploading videos and photos, these can be seen at www.smart2venice.co.uk

You're taking your brother along on the trip too: how will two siblings cope in such a confined space for so long?!
We are good mates, so we'll hopefully be ok, but I have warned him it's a long way to walk home from the Alps!

Is this the start of a number of fundraising stunts... and how on earth did you arrive at this idea?
Well, the trip is actually the last of a line of events that we've organised. There may be one or two other events after we get back, but they are still in the planning stages. Everyone was saying that I should do something with my smart car. We were in Venice just before we found out Kate (my wife) was pregnant, so it's a special place for us. If you put those two things together you get smart2venice!

Does the Smart car get a bad rap, in your opinion? Did it not cross your mind to travel to Venice in, say, a Ferrari..?
The smart car does get a bad rap! I'm always asked questions like "Can you take it on motorways?" and "What's the top speed, 30-40?". It's a great car. I'm actually looking forward to proving a point with smart2venice, I'm very confident that it'll make it there and back! Now you come to mention it, ferrari2venice does have a ring to it! So if there are any Ferrari dealers out there, get in touch!!! I also think porsche2venice and lamborghini2venice sound good too!

How are you planning to pass the time? Eye Spy? Bad local radio? Singalongs?
As the trip gets closer, I think the whole thing is becoming a lot more real, and it's starting to sink in that we will be spending hours and hours in the car! Neither of us have ever driven in Europe before, so I think it's going to be an experience! Maybe a bit of eye spy...

How can people donate to the charity or sponsor you?
We have a website www.smart2venice.co.uk. It's very easy to donate online through our page. The money goes directly into the charity's bank account, so your money will start making a difference right away, but any money donated through our page counts towards our total.

Just a few quick questions about Cardiff:
What is your favourite restaurant?
I love Ask, on Mill Lane. I'm a huge fan of Italian food. The day that my wife was rushed into hospital with Archie was her birthday. We were going to eat in Ask that night, watch a play at the Millennium Centre, and we were booked into St David's Hotel in Cardiff Bay. We never got to do all those things and spent Kate's birthday evening in the delivery ward! We'll hopefully do them all one day!

What is your favourite bar?
The Buffalo Bar, Windsor Place.

What is your favourite club?

With a young son I'm not much of a clubbing man, but my brother Craig is a party animal! He likes Liquid, St Mary's Street.

Where would you take someone, on their first visit here, to show them what best sums up Cardiff?
I know I'm biased, but I think Cardiff is fantastic! You have to see the Millennium Stadium, the best stadium in the world. I think the re-development in Cardiff Bay is wonderful, some great restaurants. For anyone interested in arts, the Chapter Arts Centre is great. I also have a soft spot for Castell Coch on the outskirts, I got married there!

Thank you for your time Nathan and Craig and we all wish you good luck with your fundraising.