THREE friends are preparing to cram themselves into a Citroen C1 and set off on a month-long, 10,000 mile trip to Mongolia in an effort to raise money for charity.

Dougie Reed, 32, Ben Rogers, 29, and Lee Sadler, 33 are hoping to raise £30,000 for Crohn’s & Colitis UK.

Talking about the reasons for their choice of charity, Dougie, a builder from Aythorpe Roding, said: “As Lee’s fiancé Hayley Whybrow is a Crohn’s Sufferer, it was a no-brainer.

“We want to try to increase awareness for Crohn’s & Colitis UK, and at the same time raise as much money as possible for this very important and worthy charity.”

Competitors in The Mongol Rally leave Dover on Saturday July 13, and drive across Europe and through the Middle East, ending up in Ulaanbataar where the car will be auctioned for charity.

Ben, a mechanic from Takeley, said; “We got the car last year after reading that the rules stipulate the vehicle must be under 1200cc and newer than 2004. The car we found needed some repairs as it was not in particularly good condition but not so bad that we couldn’t fix it.”

The guys will be driving without the assistance of a sat nav and, as many of the roads are uncharted, there is a chance they may get lost.

“We must cross the Caspian Sea but have no fixed route and could end up going through Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan,” said Lee, a carpenter from Hatfield Heath.

“Entering Iran without visas may prove to be interesting. We are very concerned about how the three of us burly blokes are going to fit into a Citroen C1 which is known for being a small car and not entirely sure how comfortable it will be. Plus we have to load it with all our supplies, etcetera.”

He added: “We would like to make a speciaal mention to a number of people who have made this trip possible – David Parson for the part respray, Wright & Co Rentals, Takeley Performance Tyres, and Roding Hall Tea Rooms & Farm Shop.”

During the rally, the lads will be making regular updates to their Facebook page at facebook.com/YardMonkeys2013 while people wishing to donate money can do so by going to justgiving.com/yardmonkeys