A man from Bedmond is undergoing the challenge of a lifetime to raise money for charity- as he drives all the way from Goodwood to Mongolia!
Ned Stuart-Smith, 23, is travelling more than 10,000 miles across Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan for the Mongol Rally with friends from Cambridge University, including Alex Hacking, Ed Chadwick, Harry Simpson, Jason Connor and Drew Barratt.
They are aiming to make it all the way to Ulan Bator, Mongolia, in a seven-ton Carmichael fire engine.
Ned, of Pye Corner, said: “We were going to enter the rally in an ordinary car, but saw there was a limit of a one litre engine to take part in the event.
“So we decided to shop around and low and behold on Ebay, we found an old fire engine going quite cheaply.” By clubbing together and through the help of sponsors, the friends managed to raise £2,000 to buy the fire engine.
They decided to take part in the rally, they said, not only because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but also to raise money for two charities - the Anthony Nolan Trust and Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation is the official Mongol Rally charity, which supports underprivileged children in Mongolia and Vietnam. But for Jason, the Anthony Nolan Trust, a blood cancer charity, is a cause particularly close to his heart.
He said: “My sister was diagnosed with Leukaemia and the charity has been of huge support to our family. “The trust helps save the lives of people who need a blood stem cell, bone marrow or cord blood transplant.
“But it’s for a great cause and how many people can say they’ve travelled all the way to Mongolia in a fire engine? “It’s a once in a lifetime trip.”
To sponsor the team visit their Just Giving site.
