On May 8 this year, along with 30-or-so like-minded friends, I'll be off to the Netherlands in a 40-year old, non-turbo, diesel Peugeot 309.

It's rough, slow and smells of mothballs, and when you put your foot down it sounds like Rhod Gilbert when he gets into one of his ranty moods.

We'll be covering over 1,000 miles together in three days, as we convoy our way to EmWalhalla – Europe's best worst car show, where unloved, unappreciated, awful and obscure cars are allowed to shine. I think my Doom Blue Peugeot will fit right in, if I can get it to clatter all the way there.

Will it be comfortable? No. Will it be fast? No. Will it be the worst car in our convoy? Also no, so at least there's one silver lining (and I appreciate such things are relative).

Sure, it's an adventure with some friends, but there's a much more important purpose behind it. Last year, we raised over £3,300 for Refuge, the domestic violence charity, in support of a friend.

This year, we're raising money for the RNLI, which is a charity that the hard of thinking have been using for some disgraceful political leverage in recent times.

Ignore the awful media rhetoric. RNLI lifesavers are our lifeline. They’re the volunteer lifeboat crews who provide 24-hour search and rescue around the entire coastline of the UK and Ireland. The lifeguards keeping watch on 240 of the busiest beaches in the UK and Channel Islands. And the RNLI safety teams and educators working tirelessly to stop people getting into trouble in the first place.

Undeterred by the challenges of similar trips in 2024 and 2025, this year Team EMWalhalla UK is returning in larger numbers, with an even bigger selection of weird, ropey, temperamental and uncomfortable cars which have all seen better days.

Compared to the daily sacrifices made by the volunteers of the RNLI, our long weekend of driving across Northern Europe shouldn't be too tricky, but we will definitely be getting sweaty and a bit tired.

Look out for updates as we go along, and do please offer your support. Anything you can spare, will be hugely appreciated by Team EMWalhalla, the RNLI and those who they have saved from danger, or those whose lives they have yet to save.

Thank you.