Team heads south for old banger challenge

Mark Stokes and Fergus Jones of Upper Boddington, Crispy Jones and Peter Jaycock of Woodford Halse, Kevin Cooper, of Byfield and Chris Dale, of Charwelton, will be taking part in the Boom Banger Rally, travelling from Reims, in France, to Marrakech, in Morocco.

The group, which is calling itself Team Trumpton after the children’s television show, has purchased the two cars at a total cost of £300 and has received sponsorship from several local businesses. They have raised more than £6,000 so far. They will be setting off on April 16.

Mr Jaycock said: “We got blind drunk on New Year’s Eve and someone came up with a cunning plan and in our drunken state we thought it would be a great idea.”

They chose to raise money for the Air Ambulance after a friend once needed their services. Both cars are around 20 years old. Each member of the team, some of whom are engineers are bringing along relevant skills including Mr Dale, who is an engineer for Tuthill Porsche, and Mr Stokes, who owns Village Garage, in Upper Boddington.

Mr Jaycock said: “We have known each other for quite a few years and if we can have a bit of fun for a week and raise this sort of money for a good cause, it has got to be worth it.”

To sponsor, visit www.justgiving.com/Teamtrumpton.

All the sponsorship money will be going to the charity while all the costs will be paid for by the team members.