TWO Pershore friends will get behind the wheel of their van today to begin a tough five day drive through Europe for a cause close to their hearts.

Kim Marshall and Hayley Reynolds will be tackling their fears for a good cause as part of the Screwball Rally heading 1,800 miles through Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and France.

The pair are hoping to raise £2,000 for the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society, a charity important to them as Mrs Reynold's husband and Ms Marshall's best friend both suffer from the disease.

And it will be no mean feat for the two 39-year-olds, who are not the most confident drivers.

Ms Marshall, of Abbey Road, Pershore, said before they left: "I expected to be more nervous then I am. I will be really nervous though.

"I have never done anything like this before and I have no idea what to expect. My only experience trying to drive abroad was a few years ago in Tenerife. But I got out of the airport and there was this roundabout and it seems to uncoordinated so it's going to be a real challenge.

"Hayley is quite nervous at the moment but we are both really excited as well. She is not a confident driver and has probably never been.

"We are hoping it will be a real adventure that we can talk about for years."
To top if off the friends are only a few hundred away from their target.

"We are really getting close to the £2,000 now," Ms Marshall added. "We have funded the cost of the van and the trip so all the money can go towards the MS Society.

"Hayley's husband suffers from it and so does my best friend so it's an important cause for both of us."

The friends leave today heading first to Dunkirk before driving to Basel in Switzerland.

To donate to the cause visit justgiving.com/Hayley-Reynolds-Kim-Marshall.