Plymouth school children leave their mark on a banger rally car

Children from a special school in Plymouth will help to decorate a banger of a car that sets off soon on a 1,500 mile rally.

The children from Cann Bridge School will leave an impression of their hands in brightly coloured paint and write their names on the 17-year-old vehicle, in the hope their personal touch will help bring its drivers, Lee Grant and Lauren Haywood, some luck.

The car painting takes place at 2pm on Tuesday 10 September at Cann Bridge School.

The 1996 Volvo estate which cost just £300, has nearly 200,000 miles on the clock and a very leaky sunroof, will leave Cornwall on the 19 September and attempt to cross nine countries in five days before the rally ends in Rome with a huge party.

Around 100 cars are taking part in the ‘Rome or Bust’ banger rally which is raising money for local charities. It will take in France, Germany, Switzerland and Lichtenstein and also include a few laps of the Nurburgring race track.

Lee Grant, who will be sharing the driving duties with partner Lauren Haywood, said: "It's not just about driving a really rubbish car across Europe, breaking down a lot and getting hopelessly lost. I want to raise as much money as I can for the children at Cann Bridge School and we thought that we could take a little bit of Cann Bridge with us on the trip. The kids will be let loose with the paint and I can't wait to see the results.

"I would like to thank the school for their support and also Trannings Automotive Specialists at Plympton who for no cost, have turned the heap of junk into something safe and roadworthy!"

This fund raiser is the start of an on-going campaign to raise £250,000 for specialist classrooms for the most complex pupils at the school.

Michael Loveman, Head Teacher at Cann Bridge School, said: “We are extremely grateful to Lee and Lauren for choosing to support our school. The children are particularly pleased, as they get to decorate a car! Although we are very creative at Cann Bridge, we can’t claim that car painting is an everyday activity! Regardless of the result of the race, Lee and Lauren can be sure they’ll stand out! We wish them luck!”

You can donate to the trip in aid of Cann Bridge at http://www.gofundme.com/3xbsp0