Couple to honeymoon in battered old car on 14,000km drive to Mongolia
A NEWLYWED couple will travel across some of the most difficult terrain on their honeymoon as part of a massive fundraising event.
Helen Woolnough and Neil Melville, who met while studying in York, are set to marry on Saturday, July 14, before they travel 14,000km from London to Mongolia, in a race called the Mongol Rally.
The event requires participants to drive from the capital to Ulaanbataar in a car with an engine of less than 1.2 litres within six weeks.
Entrants must raise £2,000 to take part, all of which goes to charity – Unicef and the Lotus Children’s Centre in Mongolia.
Helen, 34, said their motivation for the adventure was the challenge itself.
She said: “There is precious little chance for genuine adventure in the world today, and the safety and ubiquity of the tourist trap is hard to escape from.
“This is an opportunity to not only do something truly challenging, but to also do it for a good cause.
“It’s simply brilliant that our crazy trip will benefit children in need all over the world, and we just couldn’t resist.”
They have chosen a 2003 1108cc Fiat Panda which they have named “Charles Ernest Heisenberg The First”, or “Cheeky Charlie”, for the journey, which includes a ferry crossing of the Caspian Sea and the Pamir Highway, the second highest international road in the world at 4,655 metres.
Helen, who works as a social worker and will marry Neil in Nottingham, said: “Neither of us are particularly ‘lie around on a beach doing nothing’ types, so we thought we’d do something memorable.
“The wedding preparation is taking a bit of a back seat. It’s going really well, but it’s not taking up nearly as much time as our travelling plans at the moment.”
The couple, who have called their team The Uncertainty Principle, have asked York businesses to show their support by providing sponsorship to contribute toward the cost of the car, visas, fuel and return flights, and York-based sign makers, SIGNARAMA, has already added graphics of current sponsors to Cheeky Charlie.
To support the team, or to find out more, go to theuncertaintyprinciple.co.uk or facebook.com/Uncertainty.Principle.2012
Helen Woolnough and Neil Melville, who met while studying in York, are set to marry on Saturday, July 14, before they travel 14,000km from London to Mongolia, in a race called the Mongol Rally.
The event requires participants to drive from the capital to Ulaanbataar in a car with an engine of less than 1.2 litres within six weeks.
Entrants must raise £2,000 to take part, all of which goes to charity – Unicef and the Lotus Children’s Centre in Mongolia.
Helen, 34, said their motivation for the adventure was the challenge itself.
She said: “There is precious little chance for genuine adventure in the world today, and the safety and ubiquity of the tourist trap is hard to escape from.
“This is an opportunity to not only do something truly challenging, but to also do it for a good cause.
“It’s simply brilliant that our crazy trip will benefit children in need all over the world, and we just couldn’t resist.”
They have chosen a 2003 1108cc Fiat Panda which they have named “Charles Ernest Heisenberg The First”, or “Cheeky Charlie”, for the journey, which includes a ferry crossing of the Caspian Sea and the Pamir Highway, the second highest international road in the world at 4,655 metres.
Helen, who works as a social worker and will marry Neil in Nottingham, said: “Neither of us are particularly ‘lie around on a beach doing nothing’ types, so we thought we’d do something memorable.
“The wedding preparation is taking a bit of a back seat. It’s going really well, but it’s not taking up nearly as much time as our travelling plans at the moment.”
The couple, who have called their team The Uncertainty Principle, have asked York businesses to show their support by providing sponsorship to contribute toward the cost of the car, visas, fuel and return flights, and York-based sign makers, SIGNARAMA, has already added graphics of current sponsors to Cheeky Charlie.
To support the team, or to find out more, go to theuncertaintyprinciple.co.uk or facebook.com/Uncertainty.Principle.2012
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