Cotswold Outdoor, Durham support History Boys in the Mongolian Charity Rally.

Three undergraduate students from Durham University have planned, promoted and are now on their way to take part in the Mongolian Charity Rally - an offshoot of the Mongol Rally, established in 2004 purely for adventure. 21 year old Hugo Davison explains why he and fellow History Boys, Simon Howes and Hugo Brent decided to take up the challenge.

“We went down to London in February to the Mongolian New Year celebrations, and had a chat with the guys running it. The normal rally is still very much profit driven. This one wants to keep the charity aspect of the drive as the main core. It’s not a race as such, more about the challenge of getting there.”

The rally doesn’t have an official start, with drivers setting off individually. The History Boys estimate it will take them six weeks to reach Mongolia, before which they will pass through some of the most remote and desolate areas on Earth. Their planned route goes as follows:

Dalmatian coast, Istanbul, Ephesus, Ankara, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia, Beijing and finally arriving back in Heathrow.

Cotswold’s Outdoor, Durham have shown their support for the local students, providing equipment for the Boys trip. The store have had signs printed up for the sides of the Boys van and also had Cotswold promotional t-shirts made up.

Thanks to some strong local support, the Boys managed to reach their fundraising target of £7000. Taking part in the rally is not cheap, but after taking off the attached costs (fuel, visas, insurance and of course buying the van!) the Boys will donate the remainder of their funds directly to Save The Children. 
The best way to keep track of their progress is to follow them here.

Cotswold Outdoor wish the History Boys the very best of luck, and hope to receive an update on their progress in the coming weeks!