Member Article

MANAGER’S MUSTANG RALLY TO AID SSAFA

Staff at Persimmon Homes Durham are getting behind contracts manager John Futter as he prepares for a 3,000-mile charity rally across Europe in his much-loved Mustang Shelby 500.

John, who is the contracts manager for Persimmon Homes based in Bowburn, Durham, is taking part in the Rally for Heroes in August with his partner Tracy Leech.

John, who lives near Darlington, said: “We have been inspired to take part to help SSAFA, my father was in the Royal Air Force and Tracy’s served in Northern Ireland, and it seems like such a great challenge.

“The rally sets off on August 2 from Horseguards’ Parade in London with a great deal of pomp and ceremony and then we are off to take in 3,000 miles in 10 countries. This equates to at least five miles for every serviceperson that paid the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2015.

“Tracy and I have this lovely car and we are looking forward to driving it on this great adventure and raising money for an amazing cause.”

Tracy, a medical secretary at Darlington Memorial Hospital, added: “We both share a passion for cars fast ones at that, although I am the bigger petrol head.

“We always wanted to own a unique kind of car and both had a love of Mustangs but not just any Mustang, we wanted the Shelby GT 500. We scoured the country and eventually found ‘The One’ our pride and joy. The Shelby is a 5.4,V8, 660HP beast of American muscle and will be our ride for the rally.

“We are really excited about the rally and raising fund for SSAFA by sharing the driving through the whole journey. We will be part of a group of 60 cars visiting 10 countries in 10 days and we are looking forward to meeting our fellow team mates.”

Christine Cooper, sales director at Persimmon Homes Durham, said: “We all know how much John and Tracy love their car, so having the opportunity to take it on a 3,000 mile road trip while raising money for such a good cause is a perfect opportunity for them. We are all backing them and encouraging them with their fundraising.”

To find out more about John and Tracy’s adventure and to donate please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TracyLeech

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Dutton .