7:22am Monday 1st October 2007
By Laura Kitching
ADRENALIN was pumping when more than 120 women sped around a disused runway in vehicles ranging from lorries to a police car.
The event at Bovington Army Camp, near Purbeck was in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care and organisers hoped to raise £20,000.
Community fundraiser for the charity Amy Llewellyn said it had attracted women of all ages - from 18 to 80, and was open to anyone with a full drivers' licence.
She said: "Everybody loved the fire engine and the police car because they could put the sirens on, and I think the steam engines fascinated a lot of people.
"An old war vehicle that was used in the Second World War was also very popular.
"All the money raised will stay locally in Dorset and Somerset.
"It costs around £20 an hour to provide a nurse to care at home for a terminally ill cancer patient and so events like this are really important towards our fundraising."
A total of 127 women from across the two regions took part in this year's Ladies' Driving Challenge and got behind the wheel of steam engines, fire engines, a police car, 4x4s, and Heavy Good Vehicles (HGV).
The event was sponsored by Manitou who supplied diggers and a goody bag and certificate to everyone taking part.
Rowan Seymour, a teaching assistant at Damers First School, Dorchester, said: "I've come to do this with my friend Anne from Martinstown.
"We've known many people who have been touched by cancer in some way or another so it's just a great day to raise some money and it's just been fantastic.
"We've had a welly of a time this morning, the time of our lives actually.
"I've driven a HGV, a double-decker bus, I've been off road in a couple of jeeps, and twice round in the police car at top speed which was just fantastic.
"We've raised just over £400 between us, so we're just really chuffed. It's a brilliant day out and I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody who wants to do it."
Some 20 volunteers helped out including HGV driver Angus Watt with his Scottish-themed tractor unit.
He said: "Because I'm away so much behind the wheel, I don't have time to do much charitable work so this is brilliant.
"For what the ladies have gone through with family or friends who have been touched upon by cancer, this is a bit of release and reward for their hard effort. They have raised a lot of funds to do it and everyone enjoys themselves.
"Even some of the older ladies are really frail climbing up into the cab but then they hammer it round at nearly 60mph and they're loving it.
"It's good to see the smiles on their faces."
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