FOUR friends from Darlington are set to motor to Monte Carlo in a car worth less than £300 in a drive to raise money for charity.

Friends Graham Foster, 25, Emma Todd, 25, Joe Jackson, 23, and Sabrina Bi, 21, have formed a team called ‘In a Heartbeat’ to compete in this year’s Monte Carlo or Bust, a European car rally challenge.

They will drive to Monte Carlo and back in a cheap car to raise as much as possible for Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), two charities that are close to the team’s hearts.

Mr Foster, a control systems engineer, received treatment at just five-years-old at the Children’s Heart Unit at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle for a hole in his heart.

Joe's girlfriend Emma, a manufacturing senior, lost both of her grandfathers to heart failure and also supported her uncle during a lifesaving triple heart bypass.

Mr Foster said: “These are the leading heart hospitals in the world because of all the things they do, from little babies to 16-year-olds.

“The reason we’re doing it is to support them, to support families and to get new equipment.”

Monte Carlo or Bust asks people to purchase a car or “banger” for less than £300 and travel for three days, completing challenges and raising money for charities along the way.

Although their main reason for taking on the challenge is to fundraise, the Darlington team are also in it for the fun.

Mr Foster said: “It’s just going to be a great laugh.”

In a Heartbeat bought a Ford Fiesta earlier in the year for £300 – the maximum allowed by Monte Carlo or Bust – and spent £800 of their own money on getting it running and on decorations.

Mr Foster said: “We’re worried it won’t make it because we’re going to have to do 3,000 miles.”

The team are setting off for their Monte Carlo adventure today with over £950 already raised but aim to have raised £1,000 by the time they have finished the rally.

To donate to the team’s cause visit virginmoneygiving.com