Pink Cars Big Fundraiser

After a record breaking £16,000 raised last year, the Pink Car Rally is planning its next road run. Each year they take to the roads to raise money so that sick children can have real hair wigs when they are undergoing cancer treatment. This might sound like a little thing, but it is a huge thing to children who lose their hair when undergoing chemo-therapy.

Most children still go to school between treatments and try to lead as normal life as possible. But this is difficult if they lose their hair, because the standard issue is a hat which they find very hard to get used to and makes them seem ‘odd’ to their peers.

Last year the Pink Car mammoth John O’Groats to Lands End car run raised enough money for 45 wigs for children with the help of volunteer hair donors. Money is raised by en-route collection outside friendly giant supermarkets, so there is no sponsorship involved.

And the champion money-raiser is pictured above! Her name is Damsel and you would never guess she’s a trained gun dog whose owner Selena Barr spends much of her time stalking Britain’s six species of wild deer.

Tania, 25, a Pink Car roadrunner, tells her story:

My name is Tania; I am 25 years old and a Children’s nurse.

As a children’s nurse I have witnessed what cancer can do to children and their families. I have found children and young people to be exceptionally brave in these difficult circumstances and generally take treatment within their strides. But what young people find most difficult, is the fact they don’t feel ‘normal’ anymore without hair. Younger children find it very hard to fit back in at school.

Sali Grey’s car parked outside The Castle of Mey, Pink Car Rally 2012

The Pink Car Rally supports The Little Princess Trust, a fairly small charity which does amazing work in providing REAL hair wigs to children with hair loss, especially those children having cancer treatments. The charity relies on donations of both money and people’s hair. Each wig would usually retail at over £1200 without the help of the charity. The best part is that they are made from real hair which means that the children and young people can style, straighten and curl as they desire just like having normal hair!

People can also donate their hair which is then made into children’s wigs. Shortly after buying my pink Toyota Yaris I was approached by Sali Gray of The Little Princess Trust. She invited me to join a group of people who also owned pink cars in a charity rally. Of  course I said yes – apart from anything else the opportunity to meet more ‘pinkies’ was very exciting! Sali continues to organise an annual pink car rally where as many pink cars as we can possibly find up and down the country meet up and travel around the country in aid of charity.

We took part in all the Pink Car Rallies after that. I never really anticipated the reactions I would get from my car, people who didn’t know me would wave as I drove past, little girls on their way to school would tug on their mum and dad’s arms and point and smile, it was an amazing feeling that one pink car could actually make so many people smile!

Karen, Pink Car Rally  2012 ..with other pink cars behind…

About a month ago my younger sister (Nadine) was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer. Nadine is only 22 years old and at the time of diagnosis she was 26 weeks pregnant! Nadine has attended all the Pink Car Rallies with me and we now feel that this charity and the work that both The Little Princess Trust and The Pink Car Rally does, is even closer to our hearts. Nadine will have to have her baby 6 weeks early by c-section and start chemo a week later.  This will be a very challenging time for her, and also for our family; we will be helping to look after the new-born baby and supporting Nadine through her cancer treatments.

If you would like to find out more about the Little Princess Trust or join the car rally have a look at the Pink Car Rally website.

The 2013 Pink Car Rally will run on the 7th – 8th September and is likely to be based around Northampton, and here’ s the twist – you do not actually have to own or drive a pink car!