Fundraisers gear up for five-day charity driving challenge

Fundraising petrol heads are hoping to clock up the miles for money to benefit a local children’s charity Molly Ollys as they gear up to take on an epic 1,200-mile car rally next month.

Kieran Kelley from Autotech Warwick Ltd and Nick Perkins from Wedgnock Motors, will each be heading up two of the five teams taking part in the Benidorm Bangers Road Trip.

Kieran is joined in his car by Riley Wright, from Warwick and Ben McIntosh from Stafford.

Nick, from Barford, is joined by Dave Reagan, from Coventry and Derek Fitzpatrick, from Leamington.

Father and son teams make up the other vehicles, with Andy and Tom and Lewis Perkins, all from Hinckley, Harry and Paul Maynard, from Leamington and Steve and Callum Pickering from Leamington.

All of their cars will also be carrying an extra special passenger in the form of charity mascot Olly The Brave who’s coming along for the ride.

The five-day adventure, also known as Run To The Sun, will see the men follow a route from Dover on 6 May, through Caen, La Rochelle, Pau and Valencia before arriving in Benidorm.

Their vehicles of choice will be old Mercedes, Volkswagens and a Beetle convertible, up to 25 years old and which are destined for the scrap yard at the end of the rally.

They’ll also encounter tasks and challenges along the way to earn points for their team.

Kieran said:  “We chose Mollys Ollys because most of us are fathers and they are a very good local cause.

“After meeting Rachel, the founder, it was quickly obvious that is who we wanted to support.

“This is our way to give back to the community, we do this totally self-funded, buying the cars, entry fees, vehicle repairs, also accommodation when away, so every penny we raise can go to the greater good. If we can have a laugh and raise money for something good like Mollys Ollys that will do me!”

Father-of two Nick, who will be driving a 1994 Mercedes, said: “Small charities such as this need as much support as they can get and if everyone does a little bit it makes a massive difference. I have a six and four-old child myself and if anything happened to them I just couldn’t imagine what that would be like so if I can help people in those situations then that’s great.”

Rachel Ollerenshaw established Molly Ollys with husband Tim in 2011, following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.

The charity works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional wellbeing.

As well as providing more than 4,300 wishes to date, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.

Olly The Brave is a therapeutic toy that helps children understand their treatment journey. Along with a set of books from the charity’s exclusive Olly The Brave series, stock the lion and books now been handed out to more than 70 hospitals or health centres to distribute to children undergoing treatment. Olly has his own Hickman line and a detachable mane which helps to explain and normalise the effects of chemotherapy.

Part of more than £5m raised to date, has also been used to fund the first consultant in paediatric palliative medicine at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and pay for the training of a further two consultants.

Kieran and Nick, whose garages are the main sponsors of their Benidorm Bangers trip, are hoping to break their £6k fundraising target. Visit their website for more information.

To find out more about the work of Molly Ollys or how you can help or donate visit the website.

Pictured: Nick Perkins and Kieran Kelley