Tour de Force: Inside the military veterans' charity driving tour

"I served in the Royal Signals in Sarajevo in 1995, driving along Sniper Alley in a Snatch Land Rover, and now there I was, 23 years later, driving down the same road in my Aston Martin Vantage. That was a standout moment for me.”

Mick Clark is reflecting on his experiences with Rally for Heroes, the charity driving tour he created in 2010 to raise money for organisations including the Royal British Legion and Help for Heroes but which now exclusively supports SSAFA, the armed forces charity that helps current and former members of the services, their families and dependants.

The event takes place every two years and usually kicks off in London before heading across the Channel for a 10-day guided drive, taking in great roads, spectacular scenery and major cities. Sixty cars, running in groups of five with radio communication and a team leader, are permitted on each tour. Each participant pays an entry fee (this year it’s £2995 for two people and includes accommodation with secure parking, event clothing and entry to a black-tie ball) but, crucially, participants must also pledge to raise at least £1500 each for SSAFA. Many raise much more.

The charity’s connections at the highest military and diplomatic levels ensure experiences are of the money-can’t-buy variety and include police escorts and official receptions. However, so participants’ heads aren’t completely turned, every mile of the drive has a serious significance.

“We plan the routes to encompass a minimum of five miles for each of the 456 British service personnel who gave their lives while on active service in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014,” says Clark. “The first drive was in 2010. We planned to take just three cars but eventually set off with 27 and raised a little over £32,000. Co-director Benn Laidler, who serves in the Royal Navy, joined me on the trip. We both knew service people who had been killed in Afghanistan, as did our operations director Steve Shaw, another Navy man, who joined us on the 2012 drive.”

Since those first tours, Rally for Heroes has raised £600,000 for services charities. By the end of this year’s tour it hopes to have pushed the total beyond £750,000.