Mongol Rally kicks off

Charity run heads east this weekend

By PH Staff / Wednesday, 19 July 2006 / Loading comments

From Hyde Park...

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Another long-distance jaunt sets off this weekend on the Mongol Rally. The destination? Mongolia. The mode of transport? Any car with an engine capacity under 1000cc.

London's Hyde Park will provide the start line for a rather strange assortment of cars as they set off with the mission to drive across one quarter of the world in three weeks – raising funds for a number of charities, including Send a Cow, as they go.

Pandas, Minis, a couple of Citroen 2CVs and even a Robin Reliant are just a taster of the sorts of cars that will be making the journey of a lifetime to raise funds to provide livestock and training in organic farming to some of Africa’s poorest people.

The charity's fundraiser Janet Cook said: “When we first heard of the Mongol rally in 2004 it was one of the most exciting fund raising exercises we had ever come across. It is no surprise that in just two years the number of teams taking part has risen from just four to almost 200. The money raised will help many, many African families work their way out of poverty for good. We are extremely grateful to the organisers for supporting us again this year.”

The Mongol Rally is also supporting Save the Children in Mongolia, Mercy Corps, Wild Cru, Christina Noble Children’s Foundation (CNCF) and Cambridge Mongolia Disaster Appeal (CAMDA).

Come to Hyde Park's North Carriage Drive this Saturday, 22 July at 12 noon and meet the teams before their official departure at 2pm. Send a Cow and Mongol Rally representatives will be available.