A father and son team from Monmouth have competed in a motor rally from the UK to northern France to raise money for charity.

Here, Richard and David Morris take us through their journey.

'So with the ringing of engine revs still in our ears and the petrol fumes still fresh in the nostrils we reflect on the Beaujolais run 2011.

It started as it finished, in a rush. Upon completion of the refurbishment of our 1964 Morris Mini Cooper S, we entered the competition on the final day of applications.

After a couple of emails we were in, not quite understanding what that entailed, and on the money-raising trail.

A flood of emails and phone calls followed and the support rolled in, the big three; Three Choirs, The Bell at Skenfrith and Anthony Price & Sons, being especially generous and getting a nice shiny sticker on the side of the car.

So began the preparations; maps, tom-toms, torches and tooth-picks (he takes them everywhere). Of course if we had been preparing our bodies properly for what lay ahead, it may have been prudent to spend a week in a tumble dryer.

And so to the run: The week began comfortably enough, wined and dined at the RAC club, Woodcote Park on the Monday night, having enjoyed a problem-free drive down to Surrey that day.

A speech by John Surtees explained the great work done by the Henry Surtees Foundation and the details of the week's competition were revealed.

There was a ceremonial night start from Woodcote Park, but the 'Run' really began on an extremely cold Tuesday morning at the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold Park, near Guildford.

The day started watching 91-year-old Norman Dewis tear around the circuit in the original Jaguar D-type he tested and co-drove with Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn in the 1950s.

His performance on the track and in the bar the previous night gave everyone participating hope that a lifetime of cars and booze was the way forward.

Round the circuit we followed and then down towards the Tunnel and France, our next rendez-vous Champagne Taittinger in Reims 1600 hours.

So 6pm local time we arrive at the hotel in Reims. Yes we missed the first rendez-vous. A series of stuck throttle cables, the unfortunately slow realisation our map was out-of-date and the capitulation of our tom-tom and milometer meant it was not the most auspicious of starts.

For the full report on how Richard and David got on, see this week's edition of the Beacon (29th December)

Or to sponsor the team, who are raising money for the Henry Surtees Foundation. Go to virginmoneygiving.com/richardmorris5