Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge
Encyclopedia
The Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge is an annual navigational endurance challenge event. It is open to any road legal 4x4 vehicle in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....
. The event has been run since 2002 over one weekend in March each year and consists of a series of on road treasure hunts interspersed with off road challenges. The event covers up to 1,000 miles and raises up to in excess of £100,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....
each year.
No special vehicle modifications are required to enter, any sensibly equipped 4x4 should be able to complete the event.
The event is known for the competitors contagious spirit and camaraderie, the main purpose of the Mac 4x4 is to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, which it achieves to the sum of approximately £100,000 each year. Each team has a minimum sponsorship to raise all of which goes to Macmillan. All event costs are covered out of the entry fee except fuel which competitors pay for as they go.
Competitors only know where they are starting from, the route being kept top secret till roadbooks are handed out along the way. It generally ends in Cheshire where there is a prize giving dinner and accommodation for the night at a well-appointed hotel.
The event has been supported by a number of celebrities including Charlie Dimmock
Charlie Dimmock
Charlie Dimmock is an English gardening expert and TV presenter. She was one of the team on Ground Force, a BBC gardening makeover programme.-Early years:...
, Lynn Bowles
Lynn Bowles
Lynn M. Bowles is a British radio traffic reporter and can currently be heard relaying the latest traffic news on a half hourly basis on the BBC Radio 2 morning shows presented by Chris Evans and Ken Bruce.-Early life:...
, Sunita Shroff
Sunita Shroff
- Early life :Sunita Shroff was born in Scotland to Irish and Indian parents, and raised in Greece where she was educated in the Campion School . She speaks fluent Greek, Italian and French.-Career:...
, Julia Bradbury
Julia Bradbury
Julia Bradbury is an Irish-born British television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One programme Countryfile and other documentaries and consumer affairs programmes.-Early years:...
, Charlie Webster
Charlie Webster
Charlotte "Charlie" Webster is an English television presenter.-Early life:Webster attended Tapton School in Sheffield where she participated in elite junior athletics and went on to study Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University...
and Marisa Wayne the daughter of John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
Background
In May 2000 a group of enthusiasts saw a gap in the 4x4 events programme and decided to introduce a new event to mark the Millennium. The objective being to provide an interesting 'Challenge' for 4x4 owners/addicts/enthusiasts over a weekend ‘somewhere’ in the UK, whilst supporting a worthy charity."The Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge" was 'born'. After two false starts, in November 2000 because of a petrol blockade and March 2001 due to Foot and Mouth. The inaugural run of the event eventually took place with only 8 teams in March 2002 and £8,000 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Relief.
The event has grown year on year. In 2007 60 teams started (The maximum number that the organisers felt the event could maintain), and raised £110,000
The 2008 event covered approximately 800 miles and covered 5 countries - England, Wales, Southern and Northern Ireland and Scotland, the final total raised was £109,000
2009 Event
The applications for 2009 opened on the evening of 15 April 2008 and all 60 places had been taken by the post delivered on Saturday 19 April! Another Mac record. Publicity for the event received a boost in August 2008 when TV presenter Julia BradburyJulia Bradbury
Julia Bradbury is an Irish-born British television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC One programme Countryfile and other documentaries and consumer affairs programmes.-Early years:...
agreed to be the celebrity driver for the March 2009 run. The event started on 6 March and raised £80,000 at the prize giving dinner on 8 March. With a final total of £106,115.30 in July 2009
2010 Event
The entry form for the 2010 event went on line on the Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge web site on 1 April 2009, all entries were taken up within two days, (a new record), at which point a reserve list was opened. A month later due to the extra demand entries were extended to 90 teams. One week before the event it was announced that TV sports presenter, Charlie WebsterCharlie Webster
Charlotte "Charlie" Webster is an English television presenter.-Early life:Webster attended Tapton School in Sheffield where she participated in elite junior athletics and went on to study Language and Linguistics at Newcastle University...
would be the celebrity competitor for the year.
In May 2010 it was announced that the year's event had raised a record £123,000
2011 Event
At the end of March 2010 it was announced that Marisa Wayne, youngest daughter of the iconic Hollywood actor John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
would be competing in Team Duke for the 2011 10th anniversary run of the event which also marks the 100th anniversary of Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer....
The event was extended to four days to mark the anniversary, with the longest mileage since the inaugural 2002 run. After the organising team discovered that the 2011 celebrity co-driver, Marisa Wayne had never been to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and that her favourite movie was her father’s The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man is a 1952 American Technicolor romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen and Barry Fitzgerald. It was based on a 1933 Saturday Evening Post short story by Maurice Walsh...
the event was engineered to give her and all the other competitors the opportunity to visit Cong in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
the picturesque village where it was filmed, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
and County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. Immediately after the event a running total of £89,000 raised for Macmillan was declared, with a final total announced in August 2011 of £120,059.
External links
- Official web site - The Macmillan 4x4 UK Challenge
- Event Forum - The Mac 4x4 Challenge Forum
- Press Articles and Features - From the national 4x4 magazines
- Macmillan web site - Macmillan Cancer Support
- Marisa Wayne press release - John Wayne's daughter competes
Competitors' sites -