DEVIZES Lions president Roger Stratton is getting ready to take his classic Frogeye Sprite on a trip of a lifetime that will support Wiltshire Air Ambulance's air base appeal.

Mr Stratton and his friend Bill Ritson will set out from Devizes Market Place on September 5 at 9.30am and will be flagged off by Peter Healey the grandson of Donald Healey who was the designer and man behind so many great British sports cars.

From Devizes the intrepid twosome will drive to John O'Groats and then south to Lands End to complete what they are calling the JOGLE.

Their Sprite dating from 1959, which is known as OSKAR because of its OSK 800 numberplate, was not designed for comfort. Mr Stratton said: "For such a small car, this is a very long and difficult trip.

"For the humans, there are few creature comforts. The hood will be stowed away as much as possible, there is no heater, and no seatbelts or airbags. Motoring in OSKAR takes you back to an earlier era.

"In OSKAR’s day, motorways and dual carriageways were rare in the UK, so we shall be following a route avoiding them as far as possible. "In 1959, the original Severn Bridge was still seven years away from being completed. We are really looking forward to meeting other classic cars along the way, and for help from other Lions Clubs, too."

In addition to raising money for the air ambulance base appeal, which is being supported by the Gazette to raise the £1.25 million to complete the building and equip the new airbase at Semington, the trip will also benefit a charity set up in memory of Helen Straker which supports both Dorothy House hospice at Winsley and the Forever Friends appeal at the Royal United Hospital. The trip is also being done to mark the centenary of Lions International.

The car is expected to pass through Bristol on September 12 where Bristol Brunel Lions will greet the travellers. They should arrive back in Devizes on September 15.

To help raise funds the Lions are challenging people to guess the amount of fuel used during the JOGLE. Mr Stratton said: "There are three cash prizes up for grabs. The first prize is ten per cent of the pot, and there are prizes for 2nd and 3rd closest estimates."

To enter go to www.e-clubhouse.org/sites/devizes/index.php or Devizes Lions Facebook page.