A small band of four of us—yes, four fully grown ex-servicemen who should know better—have decided to give a little back this year to those who’ve not been as fortunate. Later this summer, we’ll be taking part in the Two Ball Rally, starting in France and ending in Bucharest. Why? Because clearly we’ve run out of sensible hobbies.

We’re doing this in support of the fantastic Veterans Centre at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital in Oswestry.

Now, unlike many fundraising challenges, there will be no running involved whatsoever. Let’s not get carried away. We’ve chosen the tried-and-tested method of getting from A to B… driving. Revolutionary, we know.

To spice things up, we’ve purchased what can only be described as a “top quality” vehicle: a Jeep Patriot. According to the slightly suspicious bloke who sold it to us, it’s “proven” and “reliable.” His exact words were, “Trust American.” So naturally, we handed over the cash and didn’t ask any further questions… which will almost certainly come back to haunt us somewhere around mile 2,937.

The journey itself is roughly 3,000 miles… one way. Now, most sensible people would scrap the car at the finish line. But in true Shropshire Yeomanry style, we don’t leave anyone behind—not even questionable vehicles. So yes… we’ll be attempting the grand return journey too.

That’s right. 6,000 miles in a Jeep Patriot. What could possibly go wrong?

To make matters even more confusing, three of us are called Mark. No, we didn’t plan it. No, it doesn’t make life easy. Meet the team:

Steve Owen

Mark Whittle

Mark Delooze

Mark Cole

Our team name? Hoof Hearted. We fully blame this on beer. And lack of supervision.

We’ve also been tinkering with the car’s appearance. Thanks to a bit of AI inspiration (and possibly too much enthusiasm), we’ve transformed it from a sensible red into full-blown Tango orange camouflage. One of us even went “artsy” and turned it into something resembling a fox. Whether it scares animals or attracts them remains to be seen.

If you want to witness this masterpiece (or disaster), have a look at our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/hoofheartedromanianroute

Or give me a shout and I’ll attempt to send pictures—though no promises, I’m not exactly tech-savvy.

You’ll also see our first attempt of buying a car, lovingly named: “Rusty Piece of C&$p” — for very, very obvious reasons.

We’re aiming to raise £1,000 to start with for a brilliant cause. As we all know, our armed forces do incredible work… and don’t always get the support they deserve later in life.

If you can donate, thank you—it genuinely means a lot. If you can’t, no worries at all—come along for the ride, have a laugh, and watch four blokes question their life choices somewhere in Eastern Europe.

We’ll be documenting as much of the trip as possible, including all the daily challenges (mainly because there’s beer involved for the winner—solid motivation). Don’t worry—no drink driving, just questionable decision-making.

We’re also planning to recreate a very “Top Gear” moment on the Transfăgărășan Highway (seriously, Google it—it’s ridiculous). There’s even talk of getting a photo with a bear… and yes, we’ve already nominated Mark as bait. (Which one I hear you ask)

👉 JustGiving link: www.justgiving.com/page/hoof-hearted

Take a look, enjoy the chaos, and cheer us on as we attempt not to break down, get lost, or accidentally adopt a stray dog along the way.