SCOOBY Doo’s colourful Mystery Machine is back on the road - and ready for a hair-raising 1,500-mile trip across Europe.

A 16-year-old Fiat people carrier has been transformed into the legendary cartoon van and is heading to Benidorm- or bust.

Four intrepid Scooby Doo fans from Northallerton are tackling the gruelling four day challenge to raise money for a charity close to their hearts.

James and Lorraine Adair and Alan and Zoe Mackay were friends of Wendy Reed, also from Northallerton, who died earlier this year at the age of 38 from a form of eye cancer. Her heartbroken family set up Wendy’s Wish to raise money for the Eye Tumour Research Fund and to help cancer patients and their families.

Mr Adair said: “We were all friends of Wendy and wanted to do what we could to help, so the Benidorm or Bust challenge seemed an ideal way to do it.

“We’re paying for the whole trip ourselves so any money we raise in sponsorship and donations will go to Wendy’s Wish. The whole point is the trip has to be made in an old banger so we’ve got a 16-year-old Fiat people carrier that had been off the road for sometime, and done it up.

“Now the departure date is getting closer we’re getting a bit nervous, we think we can make it, but it’s a long way and we have to go through the Pyrenees. We’re also having to put in some makeshift air-conditioning because it might be a bit warm over there.

“We have put a lot of work in to get the Fiat up to scratch, but it is old and you just never know what might go wrong with a Mystery Machine.”

He added: “We’re going to be in character, wearing Scooby Doo outfits throughout the trip, so it will be interesting.”

The group set off on June 7 along with 199 other teams taking part in the challenge.

The four, who are all in their 40s, have been friends for around five years - and Mr Adair admitted it was going to be a true test of their friendship.

“A lot of people scrap their cars at the end, but Alan wants to drive it back, so we’re going to be making the return trip although Lorraine and Zoe have very sensibly opted to fly back,” he added.

To support the trip and Wendy’s Wish go to justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jill-harker