WHEN Ian Minto travels the length of the country with his beloved Ermintrude he'll be clocking up vital cash for Chorley's Derian House Children's Hospice.

For Ermintrude is the vintage 1938 Morris 8 he rebuilt and is now taking on a sponsored John O'Groats to Lands End drive to raise money for the hospice. Retired police inspector Ian, who lives in Carnforth, is busy planning the trip from which he says he will be happy to raise £5,000.

Ian said: "First of all we have got to get the vehicle transported to John O'Groats, which I'm still working on at the moment, and obviously when we finish we have got to get it transported back.

"We are taking a route coming down the centre of Scotland and then the west coast of England.

"Obviously we have to make sure the maintenance on the car is right. We have got to nurture the car and haven't got to be too ambitious. It is 846 miles and I'm planning on 150 miles a day."

Ian, a Derian House community fund-raiser, will make the trip with his friend Kay Fishwick.

It is taking place between August 3 and 8 and Ermintrude will be shown off to locals at places such as leisure centres along the way.

Ian explained that Ermintrude started life from a local garage in west Cumberland.

But she was left to fall into disrepair, and he revealed: "I went to see her and she was in four different locations . . . it was literally bags of bits."

Ian devoted part of his retirement to renovating Ermintrude and admits she is now so precious he will never sell her.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the trip should give Derian House a call on 01257 233300.

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