4X4s set off to support Help for Heros

At 10.30am on Saturday 15^th June 2013 a spectacle of 4x4 vehicles crewed by 100 adults (and 7 children) will gather at Littlecote House Hotel, Hungerford in Berkshire ready to start out on the 2013 Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally; a 12 day, 2,000+ mile adventure following the path of the 1944/5 Allied Invasion through Europe.

The inaugural rally in of 2010 had a goal of raising £20,000 for the charity; it went on to raise £121,000. The rally has since become an annual fixture in the calendar and has grown to become the largest independent event raising funds for H4H the rally – raising in excess of £600,000 for Help for Heroes. This, its fourth year, has already raised £110,000.

This non-speed touring assembly consists of over 40 vehicles and is crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. Many of the serving/ex-service participants have served in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. The adventure will be part military history tour (including museums and cemeteries) and part off-road driving, and is open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles. As well as the driving, the teams have to complete daily tasks which include navigation, driving skills, observation, quizzes and competitions.

The organisers rely on the support of supporters such as Land Rover

Tim Price-Bowen, one of the organisers said “The hospitality and assistance we receive across Europe is second to none and everyone involved is so helpful. Some we meet still even remember D-Day itself! The Rally also has a wonderful sense of camaraderie, fun and adventure; and all for such a fantastic cause. Of course, we must also acknowledge the involvement of our event partners such as Jaguar Land Rover, the AA, o2, and others who provide invaluable support each year and who are key to our success.”

The route uses the byways of Salisbury Plain the Rally, and stops at military bases including before embarking on the Brittany Ferries sailing from Portsmouth to France. In addition to visiting WWII historical areas in Normandy, the H4H 4x4 Rally route will take in the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. It will then visit Arnhem in Holland and ‘Operation Market Garden’ before heading south to Bastogne in Belgium where the Germans made a final push – the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’. The journey continues to the Alsace region of France - with its Maginot Line fortifications. The route then journeys into Germany and Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial; with its horrors of war. The event concludes 12 days after leaving the UK – the final part being a visit to Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagle's Nest high in the Bavarian Alps at Berchtesgaden.

Every car is fitted with a ‘satellite’ tracker kindly provided by Skytag-GPS. You can follow the rally in real time at; http://www.h4hrally.co.uk/livetracking/

For more information about the Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally visit www.h4hrally.co.uk or follow them at www.twitter.com/h4hrally (@h4hrally) and www.facebook.com/h4hrally or contact Keith Bowen tel: 07766 712851 email: info@h4hrally.co.uk

To donate please visit http://www.bmycharity.com/H4H4X4Rally2013

Rally 2 Raise back in action

The Rally 2 Raise Nissan Micra in action

After a very successful 2012 where £2,500 was raised for four charities the Rally2Raise project will continue in 2013.

The project, founded by Aberdeen's Rachel Clark, is using motorsport to raise funds and awareness for charitable causes and for this year the Nystagmus Network will once again be supported.

John Sanders of the Nystagmus Network said: "The Nystagmus Network funded research in Leicester University and Moorfields Eye Hospital in 2012. We helped more than 800 people directly by email and phone and thousands more through the support and information on our website.”

“We also published our ‘The Challenge of Nystagmus’ book and wrote a new ‘easy guide to nystagmus’ for teachers. All of these achievements were only possible thanks to the support of Rally2Raise and many other fundraisers and donors. We hope to do a lot more in 2013 and are really pleased that Rally2Raise continues to support us."

In addition Rally2Raise will help raise awareness of the Bottle Stop campaign, a campaign started by Jane Sherriff after her husband tragically died after being attacked and stabbed with a broken glass bottle at a corporate event In London. The aim of the campaign is to ban glass bottles from late night pubs and clubs.

Rally2Raise has already had a great start to the year with the news that the Saltire Rally Club have very generously agreed to continue their support, part of which will involve the Rally2Raise Micra running as course car on the popular Saltire Classic rally in March.

Colin Wallace of the Saltire Rally Club said: "The Saltire Rally Club were delighted to support Rally2Raise in 2012. We look forward to continuing our association in 2013 and contributing to the superb work of the nominated charities.”

Rachel is hoping to compete on selected Scottish Rally Championship events this year but her first event will be running as course car on the E.Watson and Son Coneyhatch rally time trial next Sunday.

Rachel commented: "I'm delighted that Rally2Raise was such a success last year and we are hoping to build on that this year. I'd like to thank everyone who has supported us, we raised far more than I expected and I think the awareness raising, particularly of the lesser known causes such as nystagmus, went really well."

"We have decided to continue to support the Nystagmus Network this year. My son suffers from nystagmus and I want to do all I can to help find a cure for it. We will also help raise awareness for Bottle Stop. Both myself and fellow Rally2Raise team member Katherine have seen the trauma due to glass incidents through our work. Jane has been through her worst nightmare in losing her husband and she has founded Bottle Stop to try and prevent more families from going through that pain. The cause really resonated with us.”

"I can't wait for the season to start, Stonehaven and District Motor Club have kindly let me run as course car on their time trial so that will be a good way to blow away the cobwebs. Hopefully we will be able to run on a few of the Scottish championship rounds again this year but that will depend on funding – if anyone can help with the costs of running the Rally2Raise Micra please get in touch via our website.”

For more information please visit http://www.rally2raise.co.uk or follow the team on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rally2raise and Twitter @rally2raise.

4X4 Rally raises over £500,000 for Help for Heroes

Some of the younger rally participants lay wreathes in Ypres

Thanks to a donation of £1,000 by John Christiansen, Head of Credit and Risk at Capital on Tap, the award winning HELP for HEROES 4x4 European Rally has reached the incredible milestone of £1/2m raised for the Help for Heroes charity since the inaugural rally of 2010. It has also become the largest independently organised event supporting the Help for Heroes cause

The story is all the more amazing in that the organisers had planned a one off rally in 2010 where they had hoped to raise £20,000; it went on to raise £121,000! The rally was so successful this is now an annual event. The 2011 and 2012 events each raised even more. With the 2013 rally having already raised over £27,500, the event passes the £500,000 figure for the overall amount raised since 2010.

Don't get too many Willys Jeeps on Overdrive, Here is one with 2 Land Rovers at the Pegasus Bridge, Normandy.

Tim Price-Bowen, one of the organisers, said ‘I have nothing but praise for the efforts of the rally crews that have taken part in the rallies and for the Great British public’s generosity in supporting the Help for Heroes charity. £1/2m is a truly awesome sum. We are very proud of what has been achieved and are also truly grateful to our Corporate Partners for their involvement and support’.

Application can now be made to take part in the 2013 event which will take place from 15^{th –} 27th June. The rally will follow the path and tell the story of the 1944/5 Allied Invasion through Europe. The Allied Forces landed in France early on D-Day morning – 6th June 1944. The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally 2013 retraces much of that route.

Starting from Littlecote House Hotel, Wiltshire, it will be a 2000+ mile adventure through Europe over 12 days. This non-speed touring assembly of 4x4s will be crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. It is part military history tour (including museums, Commonwealth War graves etc) plus some fun activities, part off-road driving and part club-type social, and open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles.

2 Land Rover Discoveries on the startline of the fundraising event

The route includes: Salisbury Plain, two MOD installations, Portsmouth, visits to WWII historical areas in Normandy, the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres., Arnhem in Holland ‘Operation Market Garden’, Bastogne in Belgium ‘Battle of the Bulge’, Alsace region of France for the Maginot Line of WW1, into Germany and Dachau - with its horrors of war. The event will conclude after visiting Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagles’ Nest high in the Alps at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria 12 days later.

We formally acknowledge the support of; The AA, Brittany Ferries, Cambrian Fuel Card Services, Challenger 4x4, Cobham Technical Services Ltd, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Domino’s Pizza, The GGR Group, Harpenden Vans, Jaguar Land Rover, Marshal Military Sales, o2Telefonica, Overfinch, P&O Ferries, Skytag GPS Tracking, Terberg DTS UK Ltd, Warner Leisure Hotels, and seek convey our thanks to numerous others without whom the rally could not have taken place.

Rally 2 Raise passes £1500 in donations

Rachel Medich and the Rally 2 Raise Micra : Photo by Songasport

The Rally2Raise project, which is using motorsport to raise funds and awareness for charitable causes, recently passed the £1,500 mark in donations.

The project was set up in late 2011 by Rachel Medich to support the Nystagmus Network, the MS Society, Cancer Research UK and the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation for post-natal depression.

As well as undertaking fundraising activities Rachel and her friend Katherine Begg have been promoting all four causes through participating in motorsport events in their DMACK Tyres and Clark Motorsport-supported Rally2Raise Nissan Micra rally car.

 “The support for the project has been absolutely fantastic,” commented Rachel. “I’d like to thank everyone who has helped us so far, I am delighted that we have been able to raise so much already.”

“We’ve got a lot more fundraising events planned over the next few months so hopefully we will be able to raise even more.”

Nystagmus Network development manager John Sanders said: "We are so grateful to Rachel and Katherine for all that they are doing to raise both funds and awareness through their rally driving. At around one in 1,000, nystagmus is more common than most people think - you've almost certainly met someone with nystagmus for instance. One of the challenges we face is getting that message across, and that's where Rally2Raise is making a big difference."

Rachel is hoping to contest the Dumfries-based Scottish rally in June and she has already agreed to take part in the Merrick stages in September after the rally organisers made Rally2Raise their nominated charitable cause for 2012.

For more information on the project please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise. Online donations can be made via http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rally2raise.

Rally2Raise takes on Granite City Rally

The Rally 2 Raise Micra taking on the Saltire Classic Rally - Photo courtesy of Songasport

The Rally2Raise Nissan Micra will contest its third event next weekend (14^th April) when driver Rachel Medich and co-driver Katherine Begg take part in the Coltel Granite City rally.


The event will be the first time Katherine has ever competed but she has had intensive training from Rachel who, up until this year, was usually to be found in the co-driver’s seat.


"As the day draws nearer to my first competitive event the nerves are obviously kicking in but at the same time I’m also very excited to be part of Rally2Raise and all it is setting out to achieve, especially the awareness raising of causes very dear to me personally," said Katherine. "I am normally with a rescue unit at rallies so it is going to be extremely weird being in a rally car rather than sitting in the unit watching, and sometime rescuing, them."


"Rachel has given me loads of tuition so hopefully I will be ok once we get going and I’m sure it will turn out to be very enjoyable."


The organisers of rally, Aberdeen and District Motor Club, have generously donated an entry to the event for the Rally2Raise team.


Rachel commented: "It was a fantastic offer by the organisers to give the team an entry. The Coltel Granite City rally is my local event and it will be an honour to take part."


"We have had some really good press coverage locally and getting the car out on the event will help raise even more awareness for the Rally2Raise project and our four supported causes – the Nystagmus Network, the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation for post-natal depression, Cancer Research UK and the MS Society."


The rally will be based near Inverurie with around 44 miles of competitive action in the forests of Kincardineshire.


Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise for more information on the project. Donations can be made online via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rally2raise.

Announcing the 3rd Help for Heros European 4x4 Rally

Following on the heels of the hugely successful HELP for HEROES EUROPEAN 4x4 RALLYs of 2010 and 2011, which have raised a massive £300,000+ for the charity, we can formally announce that 2012 will see a third running of the event.

The rally follows the path and tells the story of the Allied Invasion through Europe. The Allied Forces landed in France early on D-Day morning – 6th June 1944. The Help for Heroes 4x4 European Rally 2012 will retrace much of that route.

This event will start from Littlecote House Hotel, Wiltshire, UK on 16^th June 2012. It will be a 2000 mile adventure through Europe over a 12 day period. We anticipate that this non-speed touring assembly will again be fully subscribed with 45 vehicles crewed by serving and ex-military personnel, as well as civilians and families with children. It will be part military history tour (including museums etc), some fun activities, part off-road driving and part club-type social, open to road-legal 4x4 vehicles.

The money raised will be donated to our chosen charity, HELP for HEROES. The goal is to raise more than that 2011 raised in 2011. So £160,000+ is the target

Event Summary: After using byways on Salisbury Plain the rally travels to Portsmouth to embark on the ferry to France. In addition to visiting WWII historical areas in Normandy, the H4H 4x4 Rally route will take in the WWI battlefields of the Somme and Ypres. It will then visit Arnhem in Holland regarding ‘Operation Market Garden’ before heading south to Bastogne in Belgium where the Germans made a final push – the famous ‘Battle of the Bulge’. After visiting the Alsace region of France the route journeys into Germany and Dachau with its horrors of war. The event will conclude after visiting Hitler's "impenetrable" Eagle's Nest at Berchtesgaden, Bavaria 12 days later.

We formally acknowledge the support of; The AA, Brittany Ferries, Cambrian Fuel Card Services, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, DFDS Seaways, Domino’s Pizza, Jaguar Land Rover, o2, Marshal Military Sales, Skytag GPS Tracking, Terberg DTS UK, Warner Leisure Hotels. The GGR Group

Rally 2 Raise enjoy success on Saltire Classic

Rachel Meddich and Marianne Gray with their Rally 2 Raise Micra

The Rally2Raise team took part in their second event of 2012 last weekend when they ran their Nissan Micra on the Edradour Saltire Classic rally.

The Birnam-based event was organised by the Saltire Rally Club, who have nominated Rally2Raise as their chosen charitable cause for this year, and it consisted of 16 tests and three regularity sections on a route around the area of Pitlochry and Loch Tummel.

The tests provided good experience for driver Rachel Medich as they consisted of a mix of surfaces including tarmac, gravel and muddy tracks, enabling Rachel to learn more about how the car handled in preparation for future events.

Rachel and co-driver Marieanne Gray completed all the tests in their Clark Motorsport-supported car which performed faultlessly all day.

“It was a brilliant event, I enjoyed every minute of it,” said Rachel. “The tests were fantastic and great fun. My favourite was one which ran around a quarry on gravel, I could really throw the car around there and it was very useful experience for driving on forest rallies.”

At the awards ceremony at the end of the event organiser Colin Wallace announced that over £400 had been raised by the event for the four Rally2Raise causes - Cancer Research UK, the Nystagmus Network, the MS Society and the Joanne Bingley Memorial Foundation.

“I am very grateful to Colin, all the organisers and marshals, the competitors and event sponsor Edradour, to raise over £400 is fantastic and I am sure our four causes will be delighted.”

The next event for the Rally2Raise team is likely to be the Granite City rally in April where Rachel will be joined by Katherine Begg who will co-drive on her first ever rally. Please visit www.rally2raise.co.uk or www.facebook.com/rally2raise for more information on the project. Donations can be made online via uk.virginmoneygiving.com/rally2raise.

Mission Motorsport Launches at Thruxton

A very happy serviceman in a very fast car!

The official launch of “Mission Motorsport” a new organisation that uses motorsport to deliver rehabilitation opportunities to injured service personnel, took place at Thruxton Circuit yesterday (1st March 2012).

Formed by a dedicated group of serving soldiers, officers and Motorsport professionals; Mission Motorsport’s mission is to aid in the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations by providing opportunities through Motorsport.

After a number of very successful events in 2011, the organisation has today been granted charitable status by the Charities Commission and British racing legend Sir Stirling Moss OBE has been confirmed as the charity’s first patron. Mission Motorsport has exiting plans for 2012 which include a driver development program, including skills training, coaching and licence acquisition. A fleet of race and track cars have been prepared, and will be developed and maintained by the servicemen as they train and campaign in a number of race disciplines. The charity is planning to enter the Britcar 24hr race, the 25hr Fun Cup race at Spa Francorchamps as well as a full season entry in the Superstock Powerboat championship in the P1 class.

Through engagement in the sport – the charity has a secondary aim, to open up a series of vocational opportunities, placements and secondments for injured servicemen considering a return to civilian life. In addition it was confirmed today that Mission Motorsport will work with Bentley Motors to set up its first industrial placement later this year.

James Cameron, co-founder and Director of Mission Motorsport said:

“The formal launch of Mission Motorsport and the confirmation of our charitable status is a landmark achievement for us.”

“We know from first-hand experience that participating in motorsport offers an incredible rehabilitation opportunity”

“We’re therefore delighted to be able to take our project forward and deliver a full programme of activities this year. With Sir Stirling and Bentley already on board, we’ve the chance to really make a difference to the lives of those affected by military operations”

Christine Gaskell, Member of the Board for Personnel at Bentley Motors said:

“Everyone at Bentley is aware of the sacrifices made by our armed forces and the challenges many servicemen face adapting to life after service. So when we were approached by Mission Motorsport we jumped at the opportunity to work with them”

“With the entire Bentley operation taking place at our site in Crewe we are able to offer a wide range of opportunities that reflect the skills and experience of the individuals”.