TWO Old Eleans (former King’s Ely students) have helped to raise almost £5,000 for charity by completing this year’s Mongol Rally.
Ollie Saunders and Charlie Tonge took on the epic 10,000 mile adventure across the world in a small, 1.2 litre Volkswagen Polo with their friends, Euan Richards and Charlotte Ask.
The group decided to take on the ‘No Spoilers Mongol Rally’ challenge to not only tick a lot of things off their bucket lists but to also raise as much money as they could for three charities – Cool Earth, Help for Heroes and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Ollie, who left King’s Ely Sixth Form in 2015, said: “The Mongol Rally was a fantastic adventure spanning 10,309 miles of the world’s least travelled roads from Prague to Ulan Ude in Eastern Russia, via Mongolia.
“We enjoyed highs such as completing the Pamir Highway and crossing Mongolia, and lows like breaking our rear suspension in the middle of the desert in Turkmenistan and realising we had to drive for 48 hours straight across Kazakhstan to make up time lost to repairs!
“Throughout our journey, we loved experiencing all of the different cultures and enjoying the hospitality of the fantastic people around the world. We were amazed at how much some cultures can change just a few miles apart across national borders, but also how similar and kind people can be across the globe.”
The team have raised more than £4,800 for their charities so far and would love to reach the £5,000 mark.
To donate, or to find out more about their epic challenge, visit: https://bit.ly/2KcxV6H