Friends to go on international rally for hospice in Carlisle

Matty Boak, who runs In the Meantime – a Carlisle restaurant, will complete the Screwball Rally 2024 with his friends Jonny Hall, Christopher Boak of Cumbria Customs and Mechanical, Michael Waugh, and Samuel Smith.

The rally takes them across Europe, starting in Calais, then to Dijon, to Northern Italy, then Bregenz in Austria, Mersch in Luxembourg, and back to Calais.

Matty Boak said: “We always wanted to do something as a friendship thing, go away on something, and we found out about the Screwball Rally.

“We came across these two retired wedding cars via a friend of a friend who was selling them and thought it was a bit different.”

The two cars the men are taking round Europe (Image: Matty Boak)

He said they’ve not had much experience driving these limos but another factor that may make the journey more challenging is the cars’ age.

“It’s quite a long trip, but if we can do it and raise money while having a good time, it will be joyful for us,” he added.

The men will be raising money for Eden Valley Hospice, a charity near and dear to Matty’s heart, as his father died in the hospice earlier this year.

He added that he and his friends have never driven this far and are ‘novices’ when it comes to driving abroad, but they look forward to the journey regardless.

The trip will cost them money for fuel, and they spent £2,000 on the cars – within the limit for the rally, so are appealing to businesses for support.

“They may help with some money towards it, and we will advertise them on the car.

“We’re trying to stickerboard it with as many businesses as possible, or even if some of the businesses could give us some advice it would be helpful, we may even reach out to Mercedes for a service.”

There is no set goal for money yet, and the fundraising page on JustGiving is still being set up, as well as a Facebook page.