On 2 March 2012 the 11th running of the Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge will get under way. Team 27, a Land Rover crewed by Simon Vogel and Mike Walker, will be competing for their ninth consecutive year and will be hoping to add to their enviable record of six first place finishes from eight starts.
The Challenge, devised by British Off-Road Championship organiser Selwyn Kendrick, is an event for 4x4 enthusiasts and aims at testing navigational, orienteering and observation skills, together with teamwork and endurance, both on and off the road, by day and night. It is intended to be a testing long weekend covering around 1000 miles with various stages en route. Over the years a hard core of supporters has developed which has taken the event on from strength to strength, with a highly visited website, an active online forum, and support from clubs and magazine articles. This has been further helped by the participation of celebrity competitors such as Charlie Dimmock, Lynn Bowles, Julia Bradbury, Charlie Webster and, in 2011, Marisa Wayne, youngest daughter of western legend John Wayne.
The event has developed a contagious spirit and camaraderie and, although it is seriously competitive, the main aim is to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Since its first run in 2002, the total raised by the event is in excess of £3/4 million. The proceeds of the event, which depends on the sponsorship teams raise, all go to Macmillan Cancer Support, the country's major charity devoted to the support, treatment and care of people living with cancer and their families. It provides much needed support for Macmillan's continuing efforts to provide better support services to everyone affected through the front line Macmillan nurses, doctors, buildings, patient grants and information services.
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