Otley man Simon Mahony and his lovingly restored 30 year old Land Rover are taking part in a classic car run to raise money for seriously ill children.

Funeral director, Mr Mahony, is doing next month's 50 mile run from York to Barton-on-Humber as part of Otley Lions' support of the Starlight Childrens Foundation.

And he is hoping it will put the club well on its way to raise the £3,500 needed to buy a fun centre for a children's ward at the Leeds General Infirmary.

Mr Mahony, 42, of Bradford Road, spent almost two years restoring the Land Rover after discovering it three years ago in a garage.

"It was a complete wreck when I bought it and had a concrete mixer on the bonnet," he said.

With the help of his two sons, Matthew, 15, and James, 12, he stripped down the engine and rebuilt the car - restoring it to its original condition and colour.

He decided to take part in the run after a representative from the Starlight Foundation gave a talk at an Otley Lions meeting and a fellow member suggested he take part in the run.

"We want to raise enough money to buy a fun centre. They go at the side of the hospital bed and have playstations for the children to play on and they can watch videos," said Mr Mahony.

Now he is looking for businesses or individuals to sponsor him in the run due to take place on Sunday, September 5.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Mr Mahony can contact him on (01943) 462646.

l Left, Simon Mahony with his 1968 Land Rover. Photo by Adrian Murray. (019-32-AM)

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