An Isle of Man couple who gave wings to an old banger have raised more than £900 for Manx Wild Bird Aid (MWBA).
MWBA volunteer Paige Havlin and her fiancé Charlie Shimmins spent £250 on a 2002 Seat Ibiza to enter the Motoscape Rally as team ‘Need for Seed’, which took them through 12 countries in seven days – a journey of over 2,500km from northern France to Prague in the Czech Republic. They painted and stuck leaves to the vehicle, which also bore an Isle of Man Steam Packet Company logo, in recognition of the travel support they received from the company.
Manx Wild Bird Aid is a charity concerned with the day-to-day rescue and rehabilitation of birds in the Island. This year alone, volunteers have dealt with over 1,000 animals.
Paige – who runs the stamp and coin collection – said: ‘The money we have raised will go a long way in helping the charity assisting any birds in need. As well as the money we raised through sponsorship, we received £150 for finishing in second place! Although the car was struggling towards the end, it has been donated to a local animal rescue centre in Prague, and we’re hoping it can be used to raise some funds there.
‘We’re very grateful to the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company for supporting our travel to get the car to the UK, as well as Quayside Tyre and Service Centre, for giving the car a free service before the rally got underway.'
Isle of Man Steam Packet Company Chief Executive, Mark Woodward, added: ‘We’re pleased to have been able to give our support to Paige and Charlie, who have raised a fantastic amount for a charity that does such important work for our bird population.’
