A COUPLE are meeting their own scrap heap challenge by taking a 12-year-old banger on a marathon charity drive.

Steve and Alison White, aged 37 and 34, from Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, plan to drive across Europe in their patched-up Citroen ZX.

Bought for only £100, according to the rules of the rally, the car already had 151,000 miles on the clock.

The couple called in favours from mechanic friends and used their own basic motor knowledge to breathe new life into a car that may otherwise have been destined for the scrapheap.

They had to renew the brakes, clutch, fans, and cam belt to make it roadworthy, gain an MoT certificate and insurance.

Now it needs to make it to Calais, in France, for the start of a four-day 1,140 mile adventure to Rimini, in Italy.

The Scally Rally is completed in four stages, with the 100 teams facing a different challenge each day.

During the event they will travel through demanding Alpine passes, alongside picturesque lakes and along the Italian coastline.

Mr White, 37, an electrical engineer, plans to do most of the driving with his 34-year-old wife, who works in PR, in the navigator's seat.

He said: "We were travelling back from a friend's wedding in France last year and saw queues of old cars returning from last year's Scally Rally.

"There looked to be a great camaraderie and a bit of a giggle, so we looked it up on the internet and decided to give it a go."

The couple are being sponsored and will auction the car when they finish to raise money for two charities.

After visiting Kenya last year for their honeymoon, the couple chose to support organisations that work in Africa.

Mr White said: "We saw how Vision Ministries helps children orphaned by Aids by educating them, but they don't have stable, caring homes to go back to after school.

"We saw how happy they were with the charity. We want to help with its plans to build an orphanage to care for them 24-seven.

"World Vision is a massive organisation and helps lots of people to support themselves, so both are worthy causes."

* To sponsor Mr and Mrs White, go to www.bmy charity.com/scallyrally