Disability Action Yorkshire - Montecarlo or Bust Banger Rally
A team from Harrogate’s Duchy Hospital is gearing up to raise funds for the charity Disability Action Yorkshire by taking part in a banger rally from northern France to Monaco, dressed as characters from spoof spy movie series Austin Powers.
Three members of the hospital’s theatre staff have said “Yeah baby!” on behalf of the Harrogate-based charity and will take turns behind the wheel to drive a 17-year-old Union Jack-painted Jaguar X-type on the thrilling challenge, covering 1,300 miles in three days.
Their route will take them through Dijon then over the Alps to Turin in Italy before heading to the principality with a finish amid glamour of Monte Carlo, home of the rich and famous and the perfect location for an Austin Powers scene.
Disability Action Yorkshire was chosen as the Duchy Hospital’s charity of the year by staff and they decided the banger rally, taking place 13-16 July, would be literally an ideal vehicle to raise much-needed funding.
The crew have set a minimum target of raising £200 and their progress will be able to be followed on Facebook and through daily email updates.
Duchy Hospital theatre manager Dan Wilding said: “This is a great way to raise money for Disability Action Yorkshire who we have voted to be our charity of the year.
“We took part in a banger rally last year for fun and really enjoyed it and when we saw it was being used as a charity fundraiser, we decided our next one should also be for charity, and who else but our charity of the year.”
The funds raised will help DAY meet increasing costs amid falling levels of donations and enable it to continue to provide and develop its services for disabled people.
Disability Action Yorkshire chief executive Jackie Snape said: “We are so grateful for The Duchy Hospital’s support. We already work with them in other ways – for example they donate excess mobility equipment to us as well as referring people in need of equipment to our service – so this is a great extension of that partnership.
“We know that larger organisations work so hard on the day-to-day business so when someone like the Duchy Hospital takes the time to give something back to a charity it is really heart-warming and very welcome.”
Disability Action Yorkshire has been established for more than 85 years and is a charity and social enterprise, providing services that create opportunities for disabled people to live the lifestyle of their choosing.
As a Disability Confident Leader, the charity celebrates and promotes diversity at every level of the organisation and is committed to the development of new services where there is a need, and where it believes it has the ability and resources to meet that need.
Donations in support of the fundraising effort can be made at: https://www.justgiving.com/page/montecarlo-or-bust
For more information about Disability Action Yorkshire, please visit the website at www.disabilityactionyorkshire.org.uk
