A CARLISLE couple are setting off on a 2,500-mile journey across Europe dressed as beloved childhood characters Noddy and Big Ears.

Bill Foster and Sarah Steward are raising money for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) by completing the mammoth journey in a replica of Noddy's iconic red and yellow car.

Ahead of their travels, Bill and Sarah met up with the GNAAS team at Langwathby on Sunday, September 17 for a photo shoot, with staff members offering their support and thanks.

After packing up passports, sleeping bags, and tents, and leaving the dog with a dog sitter, Bill and Sarah set off for Kent at 9am on Wednesday, September 20.

There, they will meet up with around 50 other cars from the UK who are also taking part in the Screwball Rally, and they will camp overnight in Dover before boarding the ferry to Calais on Thursday.

From there, they will travel to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Denmark, and Hannover in the space of five days, before returning to Calais and eventually back to Carlisle.

In a previous interview with the News & Star, Bill said: “We just keep doing this event every year raising funds for different charities and this year we're doing it for the Great North Air Ambulance, a service which any of us could have to call upon at any time.

“We’re really looking forward to setting off and getting going on the journey."

GNAAS responded to 1,640 call-outs last year alone, via their helicopter and emergency response vehicles, where they performed treatments and procedures which can often mean the difference between life and death.

So far, Bill and Sarah have raised over £600 of their £1,000 target, and anybody wishing to donate can do so via their Just Giving page.