By Leicester Mercury | Posted 21 April, 2014
Two men are preparing to drive an old banger 1,500 miles to the coast of Spain for charity.
Mark Bailiss, 52, from Peatling Magna, and Geof Grissel-Brown, 52, from Cosby, will drive through parts of England, France and Spain over four days to raise funds for LOROS.
They hope to raise over £2,000 – assuming the banger gets them there.
Geof said: "It will be challenging, especially if we have to repair it en-route.
"We're taking a boot-full of supplies and repairs. It's a long way in an old banger."
Geof, an electronics engineer, and Mark, a lorry driver, plan to alternate driving in their 1997 Audi A4 Estate, which was donated by a friend. The challenge is part of Benidorm or Bust, a rally of more than 90 teams all following a route from Blackpool to Benidorm in old bangers, and participating in yet-to-be-announced challenges along the way.
Long-time friends Mark and Geof decided to team up under the name Convenient Depth to tackle the journey.
Mark, presented the idea of the challenge to Geof, has participated in a couple similar events, including a rally from Plymouth to Dakar and a rally across the Western Sahara.
This will be Geof's first rally.
The two will pay for the entry, petrol, hotels and flight back from Spain, leaving the Audi in Benidorm to be scrapped. They begin their trip in Dover on April 30 and will pass through Calais, Rouen-Le Mans, Poitier, Zaragoza before finally reaching Benidorm, where all the participants can enjoy a day in their bangers on the Cartagena racetrack.
Mark and Geof started their fund-raising with an auction on Saturday night at the Railway pub, in Countesthorpe.
They sold about 30 lots, including items such as Leicester City tickets, diving lessons, a VIP tour around a Vulcan Bomber and a couple of hours of house cleaning.
The two chose to support LOROS hospice, in Groby Road, Leicester, because it helps so many people in the community.
Mark said: "We both have lost friends and family who have needed the help of LOROS and they do caring and valuable work.
"They're a fantastic charity and they do so much."
Geof and Mark are also excited about the sights they will see along the route.
Geof said: "I've never been to any of the places we're going through.
"We'll see rural France and rural Spain, the places the tourists don't see."
Debbie Dickman, fundraising coordinator for LOROS, said: "We would like to thank Mark and Geof for choosing LOROS.
"We really do appreciate this and we wish them a very safe journey and look forward to congratulating them on their return."
To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/team- convenient-depth
