Our Story

Back in 1978, my good friend Gavin and I set off on a European road trip in a surprisingly reliable VW Beetle. Having just finished our exams, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Fast forward nearly 50 years, Gavin had another bright idea - why not do it all again? But this time, as part of Rusty Rex’s Rallies. The catch? Rex has a few rules. You can’t spend more than £500 on the ‘old banger’, you’ve got to drive it from Ostend to Venice (via The Alps), in just over four days. Oh! And there’s no backup or support vehicle – frankly, I’ll use as much WD40 on my joints as on this car!

£500 later, we’re now the proud owners of a 2003 Skoda Fabia. We’ve got a team name, Gavin and Racey (a nod to me, Mark ‘Racey’ Richardson) and we’re officially signed up alongside 20 other lunatics…sorry, teams.

Neither Gavin nor I could be described as mechanically minded, and it started to feel like maybe this wasn’t such a fun idea after all. But then we thought - let’s turn this into something that matters. So, after buying a 1988 copy of the Haynes Workshop Manual for our trusty Skoda, we’re taking on this challenge to raise money for Keep Talking Services.

Keep Talking Services is a mental health charity based in Herne Bay, Kent, operating both locally and nationally. It’s run by my good friend Alex Richardson (no relation). Alex, a registered mental health nurse, saw the devastating impact of loneliness and isolation during lockdown and began calling people just to check in.

What started as one person reaching out has since grown into a fully registered charity offering vital services to those in need, winning awards like Kent Start-Up of the Year 2024, Champion for Service at the Kent Wellbeing Awards, and runner-up for Mental Health Campaigner of the Year with RMI (Rethink Mental Illness).

We’ve set ourselves a fundraising target of £7,500, and we believe, with your help, it’s possible. As a recently registered start-up charity, funds are tight, and Alex relies heavily on volunteers and donations to help provide the critical befriending services which have proved so effective for their clients. Even the smallest donation can make a huge difference to Keep Talking Services and greatly impact the level and extent of help they can provide to the community.

You can follow our journey over on Instagram, where we’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes prep, updates from the road or on the side of an autobahn… but hopefully more laughs than breakdowns.

Please support us if you can. Every donation helps us persevere on the road and helps someone else keep talking.

If you are struggling, please don't do this alone. Please Keep Talking. You can find a variety of helpful helplines and support services available here.