Rust Bucket Rally raises 'immense' £80k for charity

The organiser of a 2,500-mile (4,023 km) continental charity car challenge said it was "immense" to have raised about £80,000 for a cancer hospice.

Carlos Baldry organised the Rust Bucket Rally from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire to the Swiss Alps and back again, with 65 of the 71 vehicles that started the journey completing the full journey.

The four-day banger rally saw 160 participants travel in a car bought for £1,000 or less and raised funds for the Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

Mr Baldry said there was a "buzz everywhere" after the cars arrived back at a homecoming at Wellingborough Old Grammarians on Monday evening.

He said the six cars that were unable to complete the journey was "not a bad ratio", adding that the "up and down" nature of the Swiss Alps roads had taken its toll on some of the old cars which will return at a later date once repaired or recovered.

The Rust Bucket Rally was first held in 2014 and this years route involved two overnight stops in Switzerland and one in Cologne.

People taking part drove in "all different types of cars", with many decorated for the occasion including a Jurassic Park themed vehicle.

Jamie Brady completed the drive in a Vauxhall Insignia Estate, which has now clocked almost 260,000 miles on its odometer.

He said travelling on the German Autobahn and "iconic" Stelvio Pass on the Swiss-Italian border were among his highlights of the drive.

Mr Brady took on the challenge in a team with his wife and explained that they returned with an additional passenger after taking on a team member from one of the vehicles which broke down enroute because "it's the Rust Bucket way... we look after each other".

The rally takes a different route each year and plans are already shaping up for the 2026 edition, which will see entrants journey to Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

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