Category: Events

The 19th Creditwest Bank Car Treasure Hunt took place on Sunday, 17 May 2026, in support of Tanyel’s Smile. Starting from Creditwest Bank in Alsancak, participants collected their instructions before setting off on a two-hour route devised by Paul and Jane Ashworth.

A total of 20 teams, comprising 71 participants in vehicles plus 12 others in support vehicles, took part in the event. Independent MP for Girne, Jale Refik-Rogers, officially flagged the teams off.

The finish line was at Suna’s Beach Club in Lapta, where answers were checked and prizes awarded. Initially, four teams tied for first place — “Family Campers”, “Bella Brigade”, “Unstoppables”, and “Karsi 4” — with tie-breaker questions determining the final podium order. A consolation prize was awarded to the last-placed team, “Trofi Mafia”.

Following an introduction to the charity by Gülay and Ceyhun Uzun of Tanyel’s Smile, a special presentation was made by Figen Kaymak of Creditwest Bank to Brian Hardie, in memory of Corinna Philips, the founder of the Car Treasure Hunt.

All teams were congratulated, with organisers pleased to note that not a single team got lost along the route. The event raised a total of 112,000 TL and £590 for Tanyel’s Smile, a charity that helps create lasting memories for children receiving treatment at the Lefkoşa State Hospital Oncology Ward.

Special thanks were extended to Creditwest Bank for sponsoring the event, and to its staff — including Çatalköy branch manager Figen Kaymak and Alsancak branch manager Deniz Oralman — for their invaluable support. Joanne Hickey, Creditwest Bank’s Expat Customer Relations representative, played a major role in organising the event alongside Issy Atahasan.

Appreciation was also expressed to Suna’s Beach Club for generously hosting the event and providing lunch, and to its proprietors and managers for their warm hospitality.

Gratitude was extended to Jale Refik-Rogers for her involvement, to Paul and Jane Ashworth for devising the route, and to the many local businesses who donated raffle prizes: Olive Press Bowls Club (Lapta), Alta Marea Restaurant (Karaoğlanoğlu), Peri’s Fish Restaurant (Karaoğlanoğlu), Spice Garden (Esentepe), Suna’s Beach Club (Lapta), Aspava Restaurant (Yedidalga), Gillham Winery, The Wine Garden, Etel Wine Centre, Best Seller Book Shop (Karakum), Supreme Supermarket (Çatalköy), and Şengün Supermarket (Bahçeli).

The charity reflected that the day was a wonderful blend of fun, community spirit, and generosity, ensuring vital support for the children of the Lefkoşa State Hospital Oncology Ward and their families, helping them create cherished memories through Tanyel’s Smile.

A big thank you to all those involved.

Tanyel’s smile achieves another milestone having raised so far over £2,000 by running 75km Yedidalga Girne Beni orada Belle.

It was a gruelling race and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my fantastic support team. I’d like to thank you all individually for you donations, and extra special thanks goes to:

First and foremost my amazing wife Gulay for her full support from start to finish, and also, thank you to Taskin for his amazing vehicle support all the way 11 hours of slow driving making sure we were refreshed and fit at all times.

To Nadya saçlı for an amazing coaching support throughout this journey, from start to finish; a very keen dedicated young ultra runner she came all the way from Adana Turkey for this event – a true legend .

Ali Kayral and his team Run DMC Cyprus for their support from Lefkosa to Girne pace making and keeping me and Nadya motivated towards finish line.

Murat Gökçe my amazing friend another legend for joining us, keeping strong all the way and keeping his son’s memory alive. Amazing run!

Not forgetting our special thanks behind the scenes Ricki Watson for providing our lovely running tops from his company Amphibian . T

Thanks to Alex from MBE Harrow for providing our posters and design for our support teams.

Thanks to our Cyprus police support lefke Güzelyurt Lefkosa and Girne for keeping us all safe and closing roads off all done brilliant job .

Huge thanks to North Cyprus prime minister Ersin Tatar for supporting Tanyel’s smile and greeting us at the finish line .

What an amazing way to finish the year, a 75km long run in 11 hrs. Followed by the next day, a day spent putting smiles on these beautiful kids at the oncology ward. Jay even managed be Santa for the day.

After our New Year’s party with the kids, families and oncology staff we visited Basman Nike store to present the kids with presents. Sports bags each and a voucher so they can purchase their choice of Nike products . It was so nice to so many kids and their families smiling .

A Massive thanks to all staff at Nike Lefkosa Ali Basman Mehmet and sales assistance all been amazing making this happen.

Thank you to all the reporters Elif şençatal at Haberci TV for the report on our beautiful girl’s charity, Can from Kibris Tv and Kıbrıs Haber for hosting us live on her show and Kıbrıs news.

Massive thanks to Gizem özgeç for sharing our story Haberci newspaper amazing article also front page on the Christmas Day edition .Genç TV. Hüseyin Kıral for hosting us live also presenting Jay with first prize money for December’s top sports personality of Cyprus .This was donated to our charity . It’s been a crazy year with so many charity events hopefully this hard work continues into 2020.

Wishing all of our valuable supports a Happy New Year.

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This year Tanyel’s smile has reached around the Globe to raise awareness of childhood cancer and raise funds to help and support children and their families during difficult times. We thank you all so very much for your continued support.

Our last event will take us back to Cyprus for this year’s toughest and most gruesome challenge, as we continue to raise as much awareness and funds as we can. The Ultra 75 km run will be held on Sunday 29th December 2019 starting at 06:00 am from Yedidalga outside Aspava restaurant with Murat Gökçe (Ada’s father) and Nadya Zuyeva by my side.

The run will continue flat some curves through citrus smelling Güzelyurt orange fields to Nicosia 55km . This is where fellow runners, my friend Ali Kayral and his team “Run DMC” will be joining us for the final 20km push: uphill through Boğaz mountains then downhill, with spectacular mountain and sea views, heading towards to finish at the Historic Kyrenia castle. If everything goes well we anticipate finishing at around 3pm local time.

If you are in Cyprus Please join at this unforgettable event and cheer us on.

Together we can all make a big difference and give so much smiles back to our children. Feel free to tune in on the day to Cyprus local radio social media and TV to follow our journey.

Together, with Tanyel’s Smile we can achieve so much. Wishing everyone health and happiness for 2020. Keep smiling ?

If you’d like to help children suffering with cancer, please use this link to our FaceBook page: http://www.justgiving.com/Ceyhun-Uzun75kmyedidalgagirne?utm_id=27

Thank you xx

Latest News – Tanyel’s Smile also made the news in Turkey.

I arrived to a very special welcome to my home town of Istanbul with TEAM TANYEL my wife Gulay and niece Feride, for the famous marathon.

It’s the only marathon in the world to be run over two continents, starting on the Asian side of the Bosphorus and finishing in Europe. It’s full of history – a race through time. More importantly, it has an unrivalled atmosphere 300 metres from the Bosporus Bridge.

Now in its 41st  year, the race attracts 104,000 runners from all over the world, and I warmed up alongside runners from the US, Canada, Italy , Czechia and France, as well as the many local runners. It was a busy start, particularly with an 8, 10 and 15k event running simultaneously, although everything is well organised with bag transportation to the finish and clearly marked out start areas for each distance.

Finally, as the sun began to take the nip from the air, the Mayor of Istanbul fired the starting pistol and we were off, racing across the bridge, the minarets and domes of the city’s ancient mosques etched against the skyline ahead.

With no timed start pens, and the other races joining after 500 metres (aside from the 8k which begins 30 minutes later) , it is chaotic, with runners of different speeds all requiring navigation. And there’s a near 100 metre climb within the first 5k.

I raced my way up alongside a Istanbul local, running beneath the Valens viaduct at the top. Standing since the year 368AD, it provided water to the city in its incarnation as the Eastern Roman capital of Constantinople. In fact, the first 15k of the route provide an inspiring tour of some of the best sights of this ancient city.

Passing Dolmabache Palace, a splendid mix of European and Ottoman style built in 1843, it passes through the old harbour area of Karaköy – now an upcoming trendy neighbourhood – before crossing Galata Bridge. Wow it was absolutely buzzing! Originally serving as a link between the Imperial Palace and the merchant neighbourhood, the bridge is now popular with locals who fish the Golden Horn.

From here, the marathon route heads up along the Golden Horn for an out and back section. Already running hell for leather on the opposite side were the elite runners. As we left the historical area, we followed a dual carriageway, all the way out and back for 20 long, monotonous kilometres. It hugs the the Bosphorus Strait, with its traffic jam of trawlers waiting to be navigated to the Black Sea. By 30k, I too felt like one of those trawlers – stuck and not going anywhere.

Now and again, the call to prayer drifted through the air to remind me I was in Istanbul. That and the refreshment stops, placed every 2.5k, offering water, sponges, energy drinks, sugar cubes, apple and banana chunks were the only things that kept me going.

With little over a mile to go, the route finished with a sting in the tail, uphill, across paving slabs and cobbled stones to finish at the Hippodrome, the beating heart of the former Byzantine and Ottoman empires and once home to fierce chariot rides.

My legs and heart were working hard, but I took inspiration from the fantastic atmosphere, running through Gülhane Park, once the gardens of the Topkapi Palace, autumnal leaves orange against the sky. With crowds of supporters lining the route, I finished with a sprint, calf muscles burning, within a stone’s throw of the Sultan Ahmed, known as the Blue Mosque for its blue tiles.

As I looked around, surrounded by ancient mosques and palaces that have stood for thousands of years, the cheering supporters recalling the shouts of millions through the ages, even the dual carriageway run was forgiven. Not least because I could now boast I’d run from Asia to Europe for Tanyel’s smile, and received a huge welcome from my wife and Niece Feride our family friends cheering at the finish line.

A massive thanks go to all the donations we have received. We’re now at nearly £600 for this race alone. Special thanks to our two sponsors Helvadere and Ayshen Travel.

If you haven’t and wish to make a donation you can follow this link:

https://justgiving.com/fundraising/Ceyhun-Uzun11istanbulmarathon

Thank you, Cey xx

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Tanyel’s smile achieved another milestone, completing its 2nd Annual charity cycle event, peddling 150 miles in 22 hours from London’s Cutty Sark to Bruges Belgium.

Despite gale force winds, closed roads and delays on ferry crossings we made it, and most importantly we raised over £5,000.

This was a massive team effort, without which it wouldn’t of been possible. Thank you to everyone who helped, supported and contributed.

For the navigation and support vehicles, a big thank you to Tanyel’s mum, Gülay Uzun, her Niece, Feride Sergil, and Taşkın Sergil, in the second vehicle, they were all amazing. They guided us through thick and thin to our destination and breaks.

Our amazing 13 cyclists, Tanyel’s Dad, Ceyhun Uzun, Tanyel’s Uncle, Cumhur Uzun, Barry Sadler, Charlie Farge, Helen Smith, Chris Hall, Kasım Necat, Turan Korukoglu, Dave Brenan, Necat Hondus, Umut Şen, Eren Aspava and a massive thanks to Caner Aspava who joined our team all the way from Cyprus.

Also Special thanks to our sponsors Ricki Watson from AmphibianApparelUK.com for providing our lovely cycle tops – they were brilliant and very comfortable. Thank you also to our other sponsor, my great friend Andy from Artion construction. Similarly, a massive thanks to Alex and his team at MBE @ Harrow for providing prints for our bike numbers and escort vehicles.

Also, big thanks to Gemma Nightingale at DFDS ferry crossing for providing us excellent services and a huge donations for our charity; and Karos Floris Hotel in Bruges for their hospitality.

It was a tough event but worth it. Tanyel’s smile will continue to raise funds to help other children look out on our web page who knows what’s planned for our next destination.

Thanks again,

Cey

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Over £2,000 was raised for charity as seventeen of us took the skies for a high flying celebration of Tanyel’s heavenly 24th Birthday – something she had always wanted to do in her life .

“Thank you so much to everyone who helped me raise so much for Tanyel’s Smile. This is a sneak preview of my terrifying skydive – it was an awesome experience. This was for you Tanyel, because you were the meaning to my life. All I do is for you. Everything you didn’t complete in your short life I will continue to do for you . “, Gulay xx

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Tanyel’s Dad, Ceyhun, with five other valiant colleagues took part in the Virgin London marathon last week. It was an attempt to beat last year’s record in a six costume person “fancy dress” as “Thunderbirds 2”.

Great news! They achieved a new Guinness World Record and raised over £12,000 for Tanyel’s Smile and CLIC Sargent, two charities very close to our hearts.

CLIC Sargent provided invaluable support to us throughout Tanyel’s treatment, an we are forever grateful for this. We were inspired by their work, and Tanyel’s Smile is a charity set up by myself (her Mum) and her Dad, Ceyhun, to help others suffering as Tanyel did, and also to keep our beautiful girl’s memory alive.

We would like to thank everyone who supported us, sponsored us and worked behind the scenes to make this happen:

• The Thunderbirds 2 team
• Charlie Farge
• Helen Smith
• Rob Jones
• Andy Mouldon
• Dave Brenan
• Sener and Hulus for building Thunderbirds 2
• Mark @ Signs Express, Ipswich for designing and manufacturing Thunderbirds 2
• Artion construction company
• Yoga with Charlie
• Green Farm Spa and Retreats
• The Eugens
• Blu-3
• Belvedere in Holland Park SCL Sidney consultancy LTD
• Brownhill Insurance
• Abbey Dry cleaners
• Carl Mitchell running for Tanyel’s smile.
• BBC The one show
• London Heart radio

It was an amazing day and the atmosphere and the support was absolutely amazing from start to finish .

One very special thanks to an outstanding, kindhearted and genuine person. The most loving, caring young lady we will ever know … Our daughter Tanyel …

Gulay xx

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On Sunday 23rd April, Cey will again be part of a team attempting to set the world record for the fastest team to complete the marathon in a group fancy dress. The team, which set a new record in last year’s race (remember this news post) will this year be completing the marathon as a group of Thunderbirds. It’s going to be F-A-B.

If you’d like to support the team, please donate here, and please come and cheer us on on the 26 mile route. We should be easy to spot!