A 4,500-MILE car journey to Africa has helped Prestwich accountant Jim Gorton raise more than £3,500 for a community campsite.

Mr Gorton has just returned from West Africa, having driven there in a clapped-out 1991 BMW estate, nicknamed the Bat Banger. Mr Gorton, and his cousin, Jon Ball, took part in the Plymouth Banjul Challenge with 200 other teams driving to Dakar in old vehicles which were then auctioned off in aid of local Gambian charities.

Money pledged to the pair for the trip will go towards the upkeep of the Giant's Seat campsite in Radcliffe, which is used by Scouting groups from across the district. Mr Gorton (38), who lives in Prestwich and works at Gorton's Accountants in Radcliffe, said: "It was a great adventure, with Christmas spent in Marrakech, and New Year's Eve camped out by a big dune in the Sahara desert, with three days spent with a local guide crossing the desert in Mauritania.

"The money we've raised money is for Giant's Seat campsite, which is used by local children from many different groups, and run by Radcliffe Scouts. The maintenance and upkeep costs are huge, and the facilities have to be kept fully up to date with the latest health and safety requirements. All of the sponsorship we raise will go to the campsite to help with these improvements."