Banger to Gambia!

SUB-zero sleeping conditions, desert sandstorms and daunting police checks failed to stop two men completing a 3,500-mile trip known as the ultimate banger challenge.

Gary Salter, of Long Sutton, and Daniel Kiff, of Wisbech, dubbed the 'Hunks in Junk', travelled from Portsmouth to Banjul in three weeks and raised more than £4,000 for London's Great Ormond Street Hospice, where Mr Salter's godson was once treated for a life-threatening heart condition.

Mr Kiff said: "The whole trip was fantastic."

They left Britain on December 27 and drove through France, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, living off Pot Noodles and national delicacies and camping in tents in the Moroccan mountains with temperatures dipping as low as -10C.

Mr Salter said: "When we got to south Morocco and Mauritania, it got daunting with people shouting at us, demanding money and asking whether we have got guns.

"And the desert part was quite an experience. We ended up in the biggest sandstorm the area has seen for five years, visibility was down to 30 feet and we had to hire some local people to get us through."

They reached Banjul, capital of the Gambia, on January 17 and were greeted by wives Frances and Sarah, who had booked a package holiday to meet them there.

They also auctioned their BMW car, which made £1,000 for Gambian charities. They had bought the car for £100 in July to comply with the event rules.

But Mr Salter has now caught the travel bug and wants to take part in a similar event again.

He also said: "We have to thank everybody that helped us, with advice, donations or equipment, and our wives who let us go on the trip."

- People can donate funds until March 1, by contacting Mr Kiff on 07863 143369. The pair also kept a diary, which can be read on www.hunksinjunk.co.uk