Rust Bucket Rally heads to Scandinavia for five-day journey in aid of baby loss charity

The Rust Bucket Rally will leave Wellingborough at the not-so-bright-but-very-early time of 2am on Thursday morning (June 4), heading out on a voyage that begins with a journey into mainland Europe, through Flensburg, Germany and onto Denmark, through Gothenburg, Sweden and into Oslo, Norway.

The rally will then turn around for the return route, stopping in Amsterdam before heading back to Wellingborough for approximately 7pm on Monday, June 8.

Carlos Baldry, organiser of the event, said: “We’re all very excited.

"Variety is the spice of life, and we want to keep people interested and make it a challenge. It has been a challenge organising this year, it’s a much bigger event.

"We’re all so proud to be part of the Rust Bucket Rally.”

This year, 184 people will bundle into 85 cars for a five-day journey through Scandinavia, one day longer than last year’s ‘perfect’ journey to the Swiss Alps, via the famous Stelvio Pass.

For the Rust Bucket Rally, the idea is simple: participants are tasked with trawling Auto Trader or local ads to find a car under £1000 that they can take on an epic journey through Europe, stopping off to see some of the continent’s best and most beautiful sights. Previous rallies have taken drivers to the likes of Slovenia, the Swiss alps, and the French Riviera.

Along the route, the convoy will travel through the Øresund Bridge, which connects Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden by taking cars over a bridge and then under the Øresund straight.

Carlos added: “It’s something we all wanted to do and tick off our lists.”

While Carlos’ trusty Mercedes CLK has finally retired after several outings, he’ll still be behind the wheel of a silver arrow, as he plans on trekking to the Scandinavian streets in a Mercedes SLK350.

Petals (Pregnancy Expectations Trauma and Loss Society) was chosen as the charity to benefit from this year’s event as it’s close to the organisers, providing support those navigating through the trauma of losing a baby by offering counselling and other resources.

Last year’s effort raised more than £80,000 for the Northampton-based charity Cynthia Spencer Hospice, and this year the Rust Bucket Rally are keen to up their total, with a total of £96,000 already raised for the Cambridge-based charity, meaning it can now offer services at Kettering General Hospital and Northamptonshire General Hospital.

Like previous rallies, the convoy will return to Wellingborough’s Old Grammarians sports ground, where they will be welcomed back by friends and family.

In September, the Rust Bucket Rally will head out for its second ever Autumn outing, in a round-trip covering Pfullendorf, Lake Como, and Stuttgart. Entrance fees are £150, which includes four Rust Bucket Rally t-shirts, a detailed route pack, and vehicle decal pack.

More about the Rust Bucket Rally and how people can get involved can be found online here.