Two local ‘petrolheads’ are set for “the most almighty craic” as they take on the awesome challenge of the Monte Carlo or Bust Rally in a second-hand £150 banger of a car – and it’s all in aid of Northern Ireland Hospice!

Will Clow and his co-driver Darren Gilpin, who both live in the Carrickfergus and East Antrim area, will be driving in the three-day rally adventure from Thursday 29th May to Sunday 1st June. The pair also face a gruelling trek to even get their vehicle safely from the Hospice in Belfast to the start line in the French city of St. Quentin.

Will is a Financial Adviser at Platinum Financial Planning in Belfast, and said: “This challenge just feels like the most almighty craic. It’s Darren’s 50th birthday this year, and I just thought, well, why don’t we do this and raise a bit of money for Hospice at the same time? I booked it there and then before presenting it to Darren. ‘Happy birthday mate, we’re doing this!’

“Platinum Financial is currently a charity partner of NI Hospice and has been a supporter for the past four years, such as by sponsoring an Elmer Elephant in the Big Belfast Trail a few years back. We do two team volunteering days per year, including gardening at NI Children’s Hospice, and the team also take part in a variety of different activities across the year.

“There’s a personal family connection, and I wanted to support Northern Ireland Hospice as a way of giving something back to the charity, as my father spent his last days in the Hospice three and a half years ago. And Johnny, who is a director at Platinum, his mum also spent her last days in the Hospice, so it’s close to both of us. We’ve seen first-hand the work Hospice does, and the specialist palliative care it provides and how valuable that is for patients and their families.

“Tackling the Monte Carlo or Bust adventure as a personal challenge is something that Darren and myself had always wanted to do anyway, but it made it even more perfect to do it in aid of Hospice while ticking it off our bucket lists.”

Will and Darren’s rally route travels down through France, visiting Switzerland and Italy, before finishing in Monte Carlo. Sights along the way include the Champagne region, the Torino motor museum, the dizzying Alpine heights of St. Bernard’s Pass and beautiful Lake Geneva. Competition rules decree that all cars must cost less than £500, but the intrepid pair have no concerns about their cheap banger going the distance.

“We’ve got the connections and the experience”, says Will. “Darren works in the car trade, he owns a garage and back in the day he raced motor bikes, the proper hairy dangerous road racing of the Northwest and Isle of Man. He owned and ran a team, the famous Wilson Craig Racing with some proper big names – champions and TT winners like William Dunlop, Guy Martin, Davey Todd, and Bruce Anstey.

“Darren and I are both competitive, although there’s strictly no racing, no timings and no fixed routes”, added Will. “But the organisers set daily challenges, so we’ll want to win those. So win the race and then drive home, that’s our plan. It’s less than 3,000 miles round trip. This car is 150 quids-worth, and there’s only Alps in the way. What could possibly go wrong!

“I’m not sure how competitive we’ll be in a one-litre Volkswagen Fox, but we’ll give it a go! We’ve got our names on it in true rally driver style, with racing seats and a load of stickers, including a QR code so people have no excuse not to donate to the Hospice. It’s a very deserving cause, so we are looking to raise as much vital funding as possible for the amazing palliative care which Hospice provides.”

You can donate to Will and Darren’s fundraising page in aid of NI Hospice via www.justgiving.com/platinumfinancial. You can also follow their rally adventure online on Platinum Financial’s and NI Hospice’s social media channels.

Pictured are Will Clow and his co-driver Darren Gilpin, as they prepare to tackle the Monte Carlo or Bust Rally in aid of NI Hospice. Also pictured are Hospice Nursing Team Leader Claire Strickland and Staff Nurse Toni Bowler.

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