Pair from Brinkworth and Swindon rally to support charities (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Pair from Brinkworth and Swindon rally to support charities

10:00am Sunday 6th March 2011 in Swindon By Joe Ware

An adventurous couple are preparing to drive 10,000 miles from England to Mongolia in a car they bought from eBay to raise money for charity.

Kim Beresford, 31, from Brinkworth, and girlfriend Leonie Washington, 34, from Swindon, are hoping to take part in the Mongol Rally in a secondhand Peugeot 106 they bought for £900.

The couple are appealing for local firms to help sponsor them so they can raise money for the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation, which supports children in Mongolia and Vietnam, and cancer charity Cobalt Medical.

Former truck driver, Mr Beresford, said: “I have travelled to some amazing places, such as India and Nepal. I thought the rally was a great way to raise money and have an adventure at the same time.”

The couple will be one of 200 teams making their way from Goodwood in Sussex to the Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar.

They will be driving up to ten hours a day in their 2002 Peugeot, which Mr Beresford has worked on to get up to scratch.

He said he expected the epic journey to test both their patience and the car’s reliability.

He said: “We are going to be in each other’s company 24 hours a day, so I expect to have arguments.

“And once we get to the areas where there’s no road, the reliability of the car will be tested.”

Miss Washington, a biodiversity officer at the Cotswold Water Park, said: “I’m not as well travelled as Kim. It’s a fantastic opportunity to visit lots of countries in a short space of time.”

People can provide sponsorship or donate equipment in return for having their logo or picture on the car. Mr Beresford can be emailed at kimjberesford@yahoo.co.uk.

Visit www.justgiving.com/leonie to support Cobalt or www.justgiving. com/kimberesford to support the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.