Trip from John O' Groats to Land's End in world's smallest car raises £10,000 for charity.
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A MAN who drove from John O' Groats to Land's End in the world's smallest car had the time of his life and raised over £10,000 for the Children in Need charity.
Alex Orchin, who is 31 and from the tiny village of Wivelsfield in East Sussex, set off from the famous Caithness destination in his Peel P50 car on November 13 and arrived at his destination last Saturday. The vehicle, which has a top speed of 35mph, is recognised in the book of Guinness World Records as the smallest production car ever built.
Alex, who was supported on his trip by his friend Joely Raffle in a camper van, is delighted to have completed his marathon trek of 1488 miles and to have raised so much for a worthwhile cause.
He said: "I am so proud of what myself and Joely have achieved. I am sad the journey is at an end as I had the time of my life. But we raised over £10,000 for Children in Need and what I learned from the trip is, it's not about the destination but the people you meet on the way. We touched a lot of hearts over the last three weeks."
Alex, an accomplished bagpipe player, stopped at various places on his route and played the instrument to draw attention to his trip and to raise money for Children in Need. He decided at the age of 10 to take up the pipes, preferring it to the violin.
He has long had an interest in old cars such as the Model T Ford and the Morris Minor but admitted that the Peel P50, which is so small it was taken north in the back of the camper van, is "the weirdest one I've ever had."
Alex's interest in offbeat travel modes resulted in him undertaking the London to Brighton bike ride on a penny-farthing in 2018 for the British Heart Foundation.
The Peel P50 vehicle he drove on his trip was made in 2017 but was based on the original design from the first production models produced in the 1960s by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man. It does 100 miles to the gallon and has a moped engine inside it. Alex uses it to go to work and do shopping.
He decided to raise money for Children in Need as it is a charity he has long supported.
