Forest of Dean couple raise £1,400 for charity following a quacking Scottish adventure

A Forest of Dean couple have raised over £1,400 for charity, following a quacking 700-mile Scottish adventure.

Charlotte Gardner and her husband Luke Gardner hit the road from Cinderford on Thursday, September 24 to tackle the legendary TBR700, which incorporates the North Coast (NC) 500 and an extra 200 miles.

It’s organised by the Two Ball Banger Rally, spanning miles of the winding Scottish Highlands, and the Forest pair did it in a Renault Megane covered in rubber ducks; an homage to their chosen charity, The Give A Duck Foundation.

Charlotte Gardner said: “I had the wild idea of covering the car in rubber ducks and thought this is gonna attract so much attention, so, I need to raise money for charity. Of course, it had to be duck related and The Give a Duck Foundation do such incredible work and deserved our help and support.”

The Gardners certainly had plenty of support, with many onlookers wanting to take photographs and videos of the rubber duck machine.

Charlotte said: “I cannot even put into words how we felt during the rally. The response to people seeing our car was overwhelming. We had children screaming as we drove through small towns and grown adults videoing and just giggling.

“The love we felt carried us through the rally as one day driving was completely gruelling in torrential rain. We really felt like celebrities! We got stopped by so many people asking about taking photos and we had loads of donations from people passing by.

“On the drive home, we were still having videos and pictures taken of us - but by the time we got home we couldn’t smile and laugh anymore, our faces hurt and we needed a break!”

Throughout the fun of the adventure, ultimately the pair raised awareness and funds for a charity that does excellent work. The Give A Duck Foundation is a children’s charity which supports youngsters throughout the country who have been diagnosed with cancer.

A spokesperson for The Give A Duck Foundation said: “Charlotte and Luke have raised an amazing £1435 for The Give A Duck Foundation and we always turn pounds into Chemo Ducks, which means we are able to gift 57 Chemo Ducks to 57 children recently diagnosed with cancer.

“Chemo Duck is fitted with a central line to help children understand their chemotherapy journey and once Chemo Duck has had his treatment the children are more willing and more accepting of their own treatment.

“Charlotte and Luke's idea was fabulous and the car was amazing, covered in hundreds of ducks. I am sure it caught the attention of many whilst covering their journey.

“Thank you, Charlotte and Luke for helping us continue to support every child diagnosed with cancer.”

Charlotte and Luke wanted to give their thanks to the Forest of Dean community and their supporters throughout their adventure.

They said: “To our donors, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your donations kept us going and spreading the joy from the Forest of Dean all the way to Scotland and back.”

Supporters can still donate by visiting Charlotte and Luke’s Just Giving page.

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