HE might have been the 'oldest newbie' to take on the 24th Round Britain Reliability Run but Ted Taylor took on a 2,250 mile charity event with ease.

Even his 'dodgy' knees didn't give him too much gip as he took it in turns with his Cinderford friend, Gordon Townley, to drive his 1971 Triumph 2500 estate, known as his everyday 'hack', from North London to John O'Groats and back via Land's End.

In fact the biggest problem the pair faced was keeping the 'hack' ticking over as it broke down within a mile of setting off.

The 70-year-old, of Sling, said: "We lost a bit of time sorting that out but as soon as we were back on the road the 'hack' ran faultlessly. The biggest problem was when we were greeted with horrendous weather on the Scottish border which put the whole event behind schedule.

"I was nicknamed the 'oldest newbie' as this was the first time I took on the event. I have spent many years organising these types of things that I have been too busy to compete in one.

"We had a wonderful time travelling around the UK. Although we got back in 51 hours (three hours over the target time of 48 hours), the main thing was we finished the challenge, raised some money, and we weren't last!

"There were over a 100 cars which travelled non-stop, most of which managed to finish, and we are on target to raise £60,000 for Macmillan Cancer Relief. Gordon and I have raised so far £600 - but our target is £1,000 - and we are still taking donations, so we're still in with a chance.

"I am a big classic car enthusiast and my wife, Steph, and I have five in total including our daily 'hack'. She has been extremely supportive of my challenge and I'm pleased I could finally hit the road in one."

To donate visit http://www.justgiving.co.uk">www.justgiving.co.uk and search for Ted Taylor.