No that’s not a ‘mini’ (a.k.a. small) adventure that’s an adventure in a ‘mini’ (car).  We noticed an article in The Northampton Chronicle and Echo newspaper where it was reported that the Jordan family from Daventry, Northants intended to drive a 1979 Mini Clubman Estate that they bought on Ebay for £175 on the 1,200 mile Crumball Rally, based on the route taken in the 1969 Michael caine movie The Italian Job - and all in the charitable hope of raising £2,000 for the CLIC Sargent cancer charity.  If you’d like to donate to the Jordan’s chosen charity you can - at http://www.justgiving.com/crumballrally

Apart from marvelling, as always, at the delightfully eccentric things that people come up with in a charitable cause - it was also the first time that I’d noted the CLIC Sargent cancer charity name.  Not a name that the majority will have heard of, I guess, so I did a little bit of research to find out something about them :

CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity, supporting children and their families through cancer and leukaemia every step of the way and is the result of a recent merger between two excellent charities who have done tremendous work with children and their families over the last 30+ years. Over that period the survival rates for childhood cancer have risen from fewer than four out of ten children with cancer surviving to more than seven out of ten surviving. But even with this success, cancer and leukaemia is still the biggest killer, apart from accidents, amongst young children. (more…)

The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust Registered Charity Number : 1081151

The Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust began its work in 1969; it is now the longest running chimpanzee rehabilitation project in Africa.

The work began with Stella Marsden (nee Brewer) and a small group of confiscated orphaned chimps, the hard work and dedication of Stella meant she spent several years living in Mount Asserick with the chimps to ensure their safe return to the wild, however in the early 1970s the difficult decision to move the chimps to the Gambian National Park was taken due to the wild chimps already living at Mount Asserick. (more…)

CARE International is one of the world’s top three aid agencies, fighting poverty and injustice in 70 countries around the world and helping 48 million people each year to find routes out of poverty. Their mission is to create lasting change in poor communities and they put money where it is needed most: more than 90 pence in every pound donated goes directly overseas. That’s one of the highest rates among all the UK aid agencies.

With more than 60 years’ practical and hands-on experience, our programmes tackle the deep-seated root causes of poverty, not just the consequences. Just two examples of the way we do this are helping farmers to grow their own food and helping people start small businesses.

Read the full article for a facinating insite on how CARE International help others throughout the world. (more…)