Monte Carlo or Bust Banger Rallies are events designed for those with a strong sense of excitement and adventure and are a great way of raising cash for charity. There doesn’t need to be a reason for taking part but Michelle Walshaw from CWF and her husband Lee have decided to raise money for Stroke Association and Kacie-Mai wheelchair fund.
All you need is a car, a driving license, appropriate insurance and a good sense of direction – or a sat nav.
The rally runs of a period of three days and the aim is to successfully drive from Saint Quentin to Monte Carlo, France, whilst completing various challenges on the way. There are approximately 80 teams taking part. All teams are limited to spending £300 on a vehicle, and it has to be out of your own money so the cheaper the better! Michelle and Lee have managed to buy a 1990 Honda Accord for £200.
If the successfully finish the rally they can either scrap the car and fly home or try to drive it back.
For the event they’ll have European road side assistance so the plan is to come home with the car.
Michelle said: “we’re really looking forward to going in July, this is the first time we’ve done anything like this and we’ve opted to go as ‘Where’s Wally’ as there’s the link with travel and Lee was known as Wally Walshaw in school”
They have decorated the car as Wally himself with a large hat and glasses and put a large poster of a Where’s Wally on the bonnet.
The reason why they choose Stoke Association was Michelle’s mum suffered from a major stroke in 2013 and although it was caught within the 3-4hr deadline they couldn’t have the required injection to dissolve the clot due to also sustaining a bleed from a bang to the head and so she therefore suffered irreversible damage.
To donate visit http://www.justgiving.com/MoB47-stroke
And text code: text :MOBR47, the amount: £1,5 or 10 etc to: 70070
The specialist wheelchair is for Lee’s childhood friend’s five year old granddaughter Kacie-Mai who is terminally ill with a rare muscle disorder called Collagen Related Muscular Dystrophy. Kacie-Mai was born with this condition, and she has never been able to walk and movement has always been difficult. As she grows her muscles don’t grow with her. At the age of three she had a Peg fitted so she could be fed by tube, she also suffers from a high number of chest infections, so she has to be ventilated overnight. In the beginning she could move around by shuffling her bottom or crawling but as time goes on she is slowly losing the ability to do this and is therefore hoisted a lot of the time. At the age of three the NHS gave her a power chair but since starting full time education in main stream school she spends more time in transfers. Unlike her fixed height power chair the new chair will reduce the number of transfers required and it will give her the ability access different heights, giving her more independence and a better quality of life.
Her Facebook page is kmspecialwheelchairfund
For donations Go Fund Me Donate page www.gofundme.com/ltc2gg
For fundraising an event has been organised by the family of Kacie-Mai for Sunday 24th May in Castleford - where Michelle and Lee will test run their car.