An adventurous fundraiser from Battersea is planning a rally trip from England to Mongolia to raise money for a charity supporting young cancer patients.
Alex Taylor, founder of a waste management company in London, and his friends Michael Graae, a photographer, and Zico Roncevic, a radio engineer, hope to raise £22,500 as they attempt to travel through 23 countries, and some of the harshest terrains on earth, in a rally car.
Pic: Alex and Mike
Their 22,500-mile route will take them by the Gates of Hell in Turkmenistan, Persepolis in Iran and the Gobi Desert, to raise funds for CLIC Sargent, a charity that provides practical, financial, social and clinical support to children and young people with cancer.
Mr Taylor was inspired to do something for the charity after seeing the support they'd given to his close friends Ilya and Charlene Fattakhov, when their seven-year-old son Alexsei was diagnosed with t-cell lymphoma in 2011.
He said: "Seeing what happened to Alexsei was just an absolute killer. He was always such a happy boy who would make you smile and he was just a great kid. So when we saw cancer just break him down, it was absolutely devastating.
"He died in June 2012. I was able to see him the day before he died. It was the most heart-breaking thing. You want to help your friend and there’s nothing you can do.
"He was given wonderful support by CLIC Sargent and asked us to fundraise for them.
"It’s great to be able to show support for a cause which made a real difference to someone close to us.
"It’s hard to know what will be the most difficult thing, but breaking down in the desert will certainly be an interesting experience."
The trip is expected to take around two weeks, and is completely self-funded, so the £22,500 fundraising target will all be donated to CLIC Sargent.
Sue McDonagh, CLIC Sargent Challenge Events Fundraising Manager, said: "We’re delighted Alex and Michael have signed up to take part in the Mongolia Challenge and wish them the very best of luck with it.
"Every day 10 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK. CLIC Sargent is there to support them and their families, by providing practical, emotional and financial support.
"The funds raised by events like this will help us continue and expand our work."
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