Seven years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At the time we decided not to tell many people. My form of the cancer is a patient bugger and I don’t get to call myself cancer free for some months yet, but so far so good.

One bright spot was the amazing treatment I received from the Christie Hospital. In an age where not all hospitals cover themselves in glory, the Christie is a shining beacon of what is possible.

It has occurred to me that whilst I have supported countless fundraisers and good causes, I have (much to my shame) never tried to raise any money for charity myself.

The main photograph is of Mabel, my beloved 1950 Series 1. You will probably notice she has no side windows, heating, cooling and very little in the way of suspension, but she does have an amazing capacity for oil. Also as some of you will know, I do not like camping (if God had meant us to camp, he wouldn’t have given us 5-star hotels).

So, my eldest son Matthew came up with a cunning plan. The idea is that my two sons (Matthew & Oliver) and I will take Mabel plus a backup vehicle; a 110 Defender (built 2010) and will attempt to drive 1500 miles around Morocco. This will involve trying to cross part of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara desert, with lots of lovely camping during the two weeks.

Currently the Sahara is topping out in the mid 40°C during the day. So that should be fun.

We are setting off on the 24th August and we’d really appreciate you sponsoring us in attempting this silly idea. All funds will be going to the Christie and in return we will post images of our discomfort and our progress.

You never know, we may even make it back. As they like to say in the region – Inshallah.