A FUNDRAISING effort for the Christie Hospital charity motored out of Timperley earlier today.

The Manchester Bees team made up nine friends from Timperley and Altrincham, left Trafford to embark on a five-day drive to Benidorm — a total road distance of 1,400 miles.

The team is made up of Richard Harney, Gareth Knowles, Graham Weatherley, Mike Warhurst, David Murphy, Matthew Barlow, Mike Hotchin, Colin Perrin and Michael Hodkinson.

Leaving today, the team is driving to London where it will meet up with other vehicles before heading to Calais to catch a ferry.

Once across the Channel, the group will continue the drive to Rouen.

The second leg of the journey will take team members from Rouen to Limoges.

There will be an overnight stop before embarking on the third leg of the effort in Limoges before heading through the Alps to Andorra.

Day four will see them drive from Andorra to Valencia before the vehicles will drive in convoy from Valencia to Benidorm via a Busy Bees children’s charity to deliver gifts to children and young adults.

Gareth Knowles' fiancée, Sarah Yates, said: “Each of the team has been touched by cancer in the past couple of years, having lost or supported the cancer journey of mothers, fathers, friends, grandparents.

“They decided to raise money for The Christie, to show their thanks and appreciation for all that it does in terms of treatment and support of cancer patients and their families.”

The team bought three ‘bangers’ including a funeral hearse, which have been decorated.

They also paid entry fees totalling £750 to Benidorm Bangers run to Benidorm, with that money being donated separately to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

The vehicles also sport 22 bees emblems to represent the victims who died at last year’s Manchester Arena bombing.

Miss Yates said: "The Christie is close to the hearts of the entire team.

"We want to show the Christie our appreciation for all that they do and also send a message to cancer that we will not be isolated by this disease, we will unite and fight to raise awareness and funds in hopes of better treatments and cures for the future."

To follow the team’s progress across Europe go to the Facebook page: fb.me/manchesterbeesbenidormbangers

The team has raised more than £2,750 and to donate to The Christie go to justgiving.com/fundraising/mike-warhurst