A group of students from Esher and Wimbledon have completed a journey-of-a-lifetime to Mongolia - with a quick stop-off in the Gobi for a round of golf - as part of the Mongol Rally 2009.
The team, who named themselves the Four Kings and a Jimny, made the 10,000 mile journey through eight countries, including Russian and Kazakhstan, on a Suziki Jimny.
The four students - Luke Shaw, from Esher, Alexander Humphries and James Buxton, from Wimbledon, and Edward Clarke from Dulwich - all met at Wimbledon College and will now split the money they raised between Children and Young People’s Protection Development, Mercy Corps and the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation.
They completed the rally in just 27 days, crossing the desert and mountain without support and doing all their own mechanical repairs.
Luke, who is studying French at Bristol University and is an office cadet with the Bristol University Officer Training Corps (BUOTC), said: “The Mongol Rally was incredibly challenging but we all got a lot out of it. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills at the same time as gaining an experience of a lifetime.
“My officer training with the BUOTC helped us out a lot during the journey, especially when assessing and planning for any sensitive situations that we may have faced, such as dealing with border police and even irate farmers. I felt comfortable working in a team due to the time spent with the BUOTC.
“Surviving in a harsh environment was one of our biggest battles and the weekends spent on BUOTC training in Wales in freezing temperatures certainly made the trip and the inevitabilities easier to deal with. The social side of the BUOTC even came into its own, especially when faced with locals who knew nothing except how to party and have a good time.
“The money we raise will go to three great charities and the car was also donated to local people at the end of the trip.”
The team are still taking donations for the rally, which can be made at justgiving.com/4kingsjimny.
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