Nelson pals tackle banger rally for charity

Two mates from Nelson are getting revved up for a European car rally which will roll out of France next month.
Edward Wilkinson and Andrew Mortimer, from Nelson, are taking part in the Two Ball Banger Rally (s)Edward Wilkinson and Andrew Mortimer, from Nelson, are taking part in the Two Ball Banger Rally (s)
Edward Wilkinson and Andrew Mortimer, from Nelson, are taking part in the Two Ball Banger Rally (s)

Edward Wilkinson, of Vincent Road, and Andrew Mortimer, of Valley Close, will set off from St Omer on Thursday, August 18th when they take in nine countries in just four days in the Two Ball Banger Rally.

The duo will be completing the rally in a £250 N-registered Toyota Celica and are raising money for The Christie, the Lymphoma Association and Muscular Dystrophy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Both work at Rigby’s Coaches in Accrington where Edward is a mechanic and spray painter and Andy is an auto-electrician.

Edward said: “My charities are The Christie and the Lypmhoma Association. I have had lymphoma for the last eight years and have just finished a second lot of chemotherapy at The Christie.

“Andrew’s charity is the muscular dystrophy campaign as his brother died of the disease at a young age. We raised over £4,000 last year and hope to better that.”

The pair did the rally for the first time in 2015 and enjoyed it so much they decided to do it again.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

They will be in fancy dress again too, doing the event as Beavis and Butthead which is also the team name.

After leaving France, the route will take Edward and Andrew into Belgium, Luxembourg, Saarbrucken in Germany, through the Black Forest into Switzerland, and then onto Austria.

They will then go over the Stelvio Pass into Italy, on to Lecco at Lake Como, and then back in to France for a quick trip to Monte Carlo before the finish in Nice.

Edward added: “It is around 1,200 miles in total and each day we are given a Top Gear style challenge to do and to collect points.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We loved it last year. It’s a proper lads holiday and ideal for petrolheads. Some of the challenges are a bit mad but it’s good fun and it’s great for the charities. There are 40 teams in it this year. We came third last year and hopefully we can finish first this time.”

l There is a lymphoma support group which meets on the last Wednesday of the month at the Asda community room in Colne from 6pm until 7-30pm.

If anybody would like further information on the meeting, they can contact Karen Bonell from the Lymphoma Association on 07710 393891 or on the Facebook group “Lymphoma Association Support North West”.

Related topics: