Two friends who plan to drive from Lands End to Mongolia in an old Ford Fiesta, all in the name of charity, have received a welcome boost from Cornish company TRAC Services.

Robert Eddy and Paul Brown, from Penzance, will be taking part in the annual Mongol Rally in July, a charity car trek, which will see them clock up over 10,000 miles, driving a third of the way around the world, through some of the most inhospitable areas of the Northern Hemisphere in their 10 year old car.

But thanks to Redruth-based Regulatory Affairs specialist TRAC, which works with some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, the challenge has already started on a positive note after the company donated £500.

As well as pushing themselves and their car, along with 500 other teams from across Britain and Europe, the intrepid duo will also be taking part in the rally to help raise vital funds in a bid to buy 2 oxygen saturation monitors for the Sennen Ward at Royal Cornwall Hospital as well as supporting the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation which helps children with no families or from poor families in Mongolia to give them a better life.

According to Robert and Paul, who are busy preparing their trusty 1.2 litre steed for the grueling journey, the support from TRAC Services has been absolutely vital.

“It’s fantastic that TRAC have sponsored us to the tune of £500 which will go towards the cost of preparing the car, purchasing visas and getting and staying on the road. Their support is essential and means that we can really focus more time and effort on trying to raise as much money as possible for our nominated charities,” said Robert, who is a bus driver for Western Greyhound.

TRAC Director Sarah Trethowan said the team’s spirit of adventure, desire to try something different and the fact a member of the TRAC team has recently received treatment from staff at the Royal Cornwall hospital following an accident all contributed to the sponsorship.

“At TRAC we have always looked to see if we can do things differently or take a fresh approach to get the desired results for our clients and we were struck by the challenge that Paul and Robert wanted to undertake. That and the fact that one of our members of staff suffered a very bad accident recently and has been recovering thanks to the help of the doctors and nurses at the Royal Cornwall hospital really struck a chord with us.

“Not only do we wish them every success with their challenge, but we hope as many people as possible get behind them and support their fundraising drive,” said Sarah.

Anyone wishing to support Robert and Paul on the Mongol Rally can pledge money by visiting www.justgiving.com/penzance2mongolia