Derbyshire banger rally team rides again to help charity tackle loneliness
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On September 21, Sol and James Cowie, who make up the banger rally team “Ey Up Duck” will be taking part in the 'Split or Bust' Banger Rally Challenge to raise money for b:friend.
The couple will be taking to the road on a journey to Croatia in their 18-year-old Vauxhall Astra named ‘Ducky’– decorated with its eye-catching rubber duck stickers.
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Hide AdSol said: “It’s going to be good fun, with lots of like-minded people up for adventure and raising money for their own charities.”


Last year, the Cowies embarked on an epic journey with ‘Ducky’, through seven countries in seven days including Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Italy before ending in the south of France. Along the way, the rally team managed to raise over £1,000 for b:friend.
Sol said: “We absolutely loved doing the banger rally last year! It was challenging and tiring but the memories and new friends we made were absolutely worth it. So, we seized the opportunity to do it again this year.”
The rallies are organised by the Cornwall Banger Rally Challenge Team. The event begins in Charleston in Cornwall and will take its participants on a 7 day road trip across Europe ending in the Croatian city of Split. After leaving Cornwall Sol and James will be making their way to Portsmouth where they will catch a ferry to France. After this their route will be decided by a team leader who gives the participants a number of challenges for each day, as well as the end destination they will need to reach.
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Hide AdThe couple have chosen to raise money for the adult loneliness charity again this year, after Sol’s parents started attending one of b:friend’s social groups.
James said: “In the spirit of friendship, we could not pick a better, more deserving charity than b:friend. Over the past year we have seen first-hand the amazing impact the b:friend community has had on Sol’s parents, who have unexpectedly become loyal weekly attendees at their Chesterfield Social Club. They enjoy and appreciate all the events and have started to form many good friendships.
“We are excited to see how much b:friend is growing and expanding all over our area and are proud to play a tiny little part in fundraising and spreading the word.”
The charity, based in Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire pairs volunteer befrienders with an older neighbour for a weekly chat and hosts weekly social clubs to tackle loneliness amongst older members of the community.
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Hide AdSol and James are hoping to reach their £2,000 fundraising target through their JustGiving page. Over the summer they have also been attending events such as classic car shows and hosting raffles to raise money.
Sol described the generosity of those donating money and businesses who donated raffle prizes as “amazing.”
By making a donation, supporters or local businesses can also join the journey and get their name on one of the duck stickers which decorate ‘Ducky’.
Supporters can find out more and donate to Sol and James’ fundraiser on their website.
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