Adventurous Stafford couple appeal for car to go on 10,000 Mongol Rally for charity
A couple are looking for a car to get take the brakes off their daring charity challenge.
John, aged, 57, and Shirley Winton, 63, will drive 10,000 miles through 16 countries over 50 days for the 2018 Mongol Rally – but need a vehicle to do it in.
As part of the challenge, They are raising £1,000 which will go to Macmillan Cancer Care and Action Cool Earth. They have already reached just over half of that.
It is a challenge full of risk because there is no route or support so participants have to figure out how to find their way to Mongolia and then onto the finish line in Ulan Ude in Russia just over the border.
They are looking for a 1000cc or 1.2 litre car that drives well and they would prefer it to be donated but are willing to pay a small price for it.
They are reaching out for help from individuals with cars as well as local garages.
John was an RAF serviceman and a Stafford policeman while Shirley worked at County Hospital, but they took early retirement to be one of 350 teams leaving West Sussex in July to do the challenge. The adventurous couple have been married for 32 years and previously drove from Stafford to India before shipping their campervan to Australia.
They both dropped their jobs and took their nine-year-old out of school to embark on the challenge in 1999 without a GPS. In the past John has sold his service medals to raise money for a village school in Cambodia. But this time the couple have chosen to raise money for Macmillan because they lost friends and family to cancer.
John lost his best friend at school, Gary Mo. He said: “We are probably one of the more mature teams but we are not novices at long-distance driving or adventure. The donor would have their details adorned onto the vehicle and would be deemed heroes in our eyes. Moreover, they would be doing a great thing for two worthy charities.”
John added: “We are one of the more mature teams, only 70 per cent of teams actually make it and the worst scenario would be breaking down or not being able to continue.
“It’s not a race, it’s deemed a failure if you get their first. Every team has their advantages, I’m a half glass full kind of guy so that’s mine.”
“It would mean a great deal to us.”
The team have taken on the name The Comforteers because they are sponsored by Comfort Motorhome Insurance.
Anyone who has a car that is due to be traded in or no longer used or needed has been asked to contact John on 07719 890718 or at wheelrim@yahoo.com.
Donations can be made to justgiving.com/fundraising/buzbyandshirley. All donations go directly to the charity and not on the costs of participating.
