Brexit car rally helps pub chums in Amptill raise £74k for charity

A group of pub chums who launched the summer-long Ampthill v Prostate Cancer campaign to raise £20,000 handed over a cheque for more than three times the amount at the weekend.
Brexit car rallyBrexit car rally
Brexit car rally

The £74,129.31p sum raised works out at approximately £10 for every man and woman living in the town.

Schoolgirl Grace Maguire, daughter of Engine and Tender pub landlord Ken, made the presentation to Prostate Cancer UK at a slap-up black tie ball in a marquee at Ampthill Cricket Club.

Local businessman Steve Butler, the driving force behind the campaign who celebrated his 50th birthday the same night, said: “It is a magnificent result.

“It proves once again just what a marvellous little town Ampthill is – and what a great bunch of people live here.

“To raise £74,129 over the summer is a fantastic result – although I don’t know who donated the odd 31p!”

Almost half the amount was raised by a Brexit car rally when regulars from the Engine and Tender drove seven “old bangers held together by gaffer tape and string” through eight European countries in just four days.

Despite getting three speeding tickets within hours of reaching France, all seven cars, none of which cost more than £500 to buy, completed the 1,600-mile journey.

Although the charity campaign was hatched over a few pints in the Engine, all the town’s other pubs along with many of the shops and other businesses joined in to help raise funds.

It led to Prostate Cancer UK naming the Engine as their Favourite Local Boozer of the Year.

But it was the landlord of one of the town’s other pubs who found himself in the limelight at last week’s ball when the compere jokingly nicknamed him “Shrek”.

To spare his blushes, we won’t name him here!