Old banger put to the test in Italian charity job

Jul 23 2008 By Chris Henwood

ALL roads will lead to Rome for four Midland women, providing their £100 banger lasts the distance.

Debbie Brown, Julie Bryce, Cathy Edwards and Sally White will be making the 1,400-mile drive to the capital of Italy in a £100 Fiat Tempra in September.

They picked up their 15-year-old banger from Carstins Garage, in Balsall Common, after it was resprayed in their pink team colours.

Debbie, Julie and Cathy, from Balsall Common, and Sally, from Stratford-Upon-Avon, will be taking part in the Streetsafari Home2Rome charity rally.

They aim to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire’s maxillo facial, neck and head cancer fund.

Their fund-raising effort is a personal affair as Debbie’s 43-year-old brother, Richard Cunningham, is a Univerity Hospital patient being treated for mouth cancer.

And mums-of-two Julie lost a brother and Cathy her mother-in-law to cancer.

“The car’s in reasonable condition and we’re hoping it’ll make the journey,” said mum-of-one Debbie, aged 46.

“It’s just passed its MoT so it must be OK.”

The team’s four-day journey will start on September 26. Team members will undertake two-hour driving shifts.

“We have mixed feeling about it,” said Debbie.

“We are looking forward to it but none of us is good at car maintenance. Carstins has offered to give the car the once over before we go. I’m just not sure they think we know what we’re doing.”

The women have already raised more than £5,500 with an Italian-themed jazz night in May and a wine and flowers evening earlier this month.

To support their fundraising drive, e-mail Debbie at brownsbirchfield@aol.com