A local business owner is taking on the Great Wall of China in the name of charity and is looking to raise funds via an online motor-themed raffle.

Adam Allen decided to sign up for local end-of-life charity Prospect Hospice’s ‘Trek the Great Wall of China 2025’ challenge when he saw an advert calling on people to assist the charity.

Mr Allen, 45, said: “I’ve never done anything like this before, but I have always wanted to visit China so when I saw Prospect Hospice were looking for people to take part I signed up.”

He and 21 other participants have been set the double challenge of each raising £4000 in donations for the hospice, as well as completing the nine-day expedition.

All money raised will be used to fund the vital end-of-life care provided by the charity, which operates in Swindon, Marlborough and northeast Wiltshire.

Adam is the owner of the car-themed clothing business RetroClassic Clothing and has called upon his contacts in the motor industry to put together a raffle with prizes valuing over £1500 in total.

“The idea behind the raffle was to try and aim beyond Swindon and attract attention to Prospect Hospice from across the country. It was a nightmare trying to get a licence to do it online, but it is all worth it to help the hospice.”

Prizes on offer include a hamper from Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm, signed motor-themed prints and artwork worth up to £295, a prize from Richard Hammond's car business Smallest Cog, and family tickets to the National Motor Museum.

(Image: Adam Allen)

To sign up for the raffle and read more about Prospect Hospice, click here:

https://www.peoplesfundraising.com/raffle/petrolhead-raffle

Other fundraising events are on the horizon, including a wine-tasting event at Magnum Wine Shop, and a musical performance by the band JB and The Mojo Makers.

Adam said: “I can’t believe the generosity of the companies who have been promoting the cause, which has helped me raise £1500 already.”

A beer raffle held at the Swindon Beer Festival in October also helped to raise £1800 between Adam and fellow trekker Karma Wall.

Prospect Hospice are on the search for up to eight more people willing to take part with the trek itself not taking place until October 2025.

The trip will involve spending five days walking along the Great Wall and through nearby jungle areas, including a particularly strenuous section that includes 10,000 uphill steps.

The cohort remains as motivated as ever to support the Wiltshire charity, with Adam saying: “Hospices are particularly struggling at the moment. We are just a group of strangers trying to raise as much money as we can.”

Winners of the raffle will be announced on December 12.

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