Making a dash for the Mongolian border

Father and daughter Colin and Gayle Bradbury mapping out an epic adventure.

CROSSING 16 countries and barren deserts in a 10,000-mile charity rally promises to be an amazing adventure.

And Colin Bradbury, from Lees, and his team are attempting to complete the Mongol Rally in an old ambulance with more than 220,000 miles on the clock.

Adventure
But Colin is used to such unusual expeditions having already tackled a Rickshaw Run in India and a South American adventure on a tricycle.

The 64-year-old will travel with daughter Gayle Bradbury (38), from Manchester, and friends Phil Oddy, from Wakefield, and Ian Baglow, from London, in a team called Four Play with Ghengis.

They set off from Goodwood to Mongolia on Saturday, July 23, travelling through Serbia, Turkey, Iran and Russia on the way in an ambulance they’ve christened Barbara, purchased from Yorkshire Medics in Skipton for a bargain £1,000 and restored with four new tyres and a sundeck on top. The ambulance will be donated to the Mongolian community once they arrive.

Colin said: “We have a bit of a bug for these unusual things. The Mongol Rally is the toughest of them all. My daughter has wanted to do it for a while.”

Speaking about the dangers, he said: “It’s a long way to go. From the obvious breakdowns and getting lost you also have border crossings where the rumours are you have to bribe your way across and police stopping you for speeding when you aren’t. But I’m looking forward to it and really confident we’ll do it.”

There’s also a couple of deserts up to 300 miles across to negotiate where getting lost is all too easy.

But the team have to finish within five weeks or they will miss their flights home and an important date for Colin.

He added: “I have to get back for my ruby wedding anniversary or I’m in deep trouble.”

The team is raising money for the Christina Noble Children Foundation and Prostate Cancer Charity and have almost reached their £1,500 target but want to raise as much money as possible. To sponsor them visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/fourplaywithghengis.

The Chronicle has already reported on another local team taking part in the Mongol Rally, with Nick Draper, from Chadderton, and five friends also travelling in an ambulance and raising money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.