We’re back!

My friend Antony O’Gorman and I returned in mid-June 2010 from a 2,000-mile drive across Europe and over the Swiss Alps to and in ‘Trafalgar’, our 1964 Morris Minor 1000 Tourer which was meticulously restored in 2008 by Charles Ware’s Morris Minor Centre in .  If you want to read our 15,000-word diary of the trip and view over 100 of our photos, please read on.

As a challenge to 46-year-old Trafalgar, we drove him over some of the highest mountain passes in eastern Switzerland.  He successfully reached the summits of the (altitude 2,383 metres / 7,816 feet), the (2,323 metres / 7,621 feet), the (2,284 metres / 7,493 feet), and the (2,149 metres / 7,048 feet). By comparison, the summit of ’s highest mountain, is only 1,344 metres (4,409 feet).

On our trip we drove through , , , . We paid our respects at the Tyne Cot First World War cemetery near Ypres, visited the battlefield of and met up with 71 other Morris Minors at a rally in the Haute-Saône region of .

To raise funds for and awareness of bipolar disorder, we're seeking sponsorship for our trip. This is an independent initiative of ours.  We've met all the costs of the trip ourselves, and all funds raised will go directly towards MDF The BiPolar Organisation, supporting the charity’s invaluable work.  If you sponsor us here and leave your email address so that we can contact you, we'll send you details of how to access our online diary and photos.

Bipolar condition (once known as manic depression) is a disruptive mental disorder causing mood swings. It affects more than 1% of the general population, so without realising it you may know people who are bipolar. While the impact of the condition can be severe, it can have positive as well as negative effects. With self-management and the right help, those afflicted can lead normal lives. Many creative people and other high achievers live with bipolar. Examples are comedian Stephen Fry, actor Richard Dreyfuss and crime writer Patricia Cornwell.

MDF is a charity supporting bipolar sufferers and their carers by helping those affected by the condition to cope with the mental, physical and social implications of bipolar as well as the general stigma which (sadly) is still attached to mental illness. Each year over 20,000 people benefit from MDF's services, which include a national network of 130 support groups in the UK, an interactive website, a legal advice line, information and publications, travel insurance and life assurance, and self management advice for people with bipolar disorder. MDF also campaign for more research into the causes of bipolar disorder and its treatment.

If you’d like to sponsor us, it’s easy to do so online here. Donating through JustGiving.com is simple, fast and secure – the site promises that your details are safe, and that it will never sell them on or send you unwanted emails. When you make a donation via the site, your money is sent directly to the charity. JustGiving.com also makes sure that Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – raising more while saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

If you know anyone with bipolar disorder, want to help people with mental illness or are simply smitten with Morris Minors or classic cars in general, please give generously to MDF and let others know about our fund-raising effort.

We’ve included a few photos here to give you a flavour of the trip. We’ve also written a more extensive online diary of the trip, illustrated with more than 100 photos, but these are accessible only to those who've kindly supported us.  If you’d like to read about our exploits or if you’d simply like to help MDF, please consider making a donation and leave your email address so that we can get back to you and send you details of how to access our online diary and photos.