A CLASSIC car rally has raised almost £800,000 since its inception in 2004.

The Grand Tour Cape to Cape, the brainchild of Dennis Greenslade, from Carnon Downs, raises awareness and fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Dennis' love of motor cars and motor sport, fascination with maps and experience of rallying led to him organising what has now become one of the toughest classic car tours in Europe.

He decided to combine this challenge of driving older cars from one end of a country to another with raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

He has seen first-hand the wonderful care, support and comfort that Macmillan provides.

The first event, Cape Cornwall to Cape Wrath, raised an amazing £32,000 and to date £770,000 has been achieved.

Support has been brilliant from the entrants, their friends, families and generous supporters with arranging fundraising events, coffee mornings, auctions, street collections and donations.

In 2019 The Victory Grand Tour Cape to Cape started last Friday and finishes on Sunday, at the end of which organisers hope to bring the total to £870,000.

Forty cars from the best British, German, Italian and other great international marques will set off from Cape Trafalgar in the south west of Spain to experience some of the best driving roads along the Spain/Portugal boarder to Bilbao.

From there they will travel by ferry to Portsmouth where entrants will have the opportunity to visit HMS Victory, then travel onwards keeping close to the Trafalgar Way to Falmouth and the final destination at Cape Cornwall.

While taking on the theme of Nelson’s Victory at Trafalgar it will include regular Cape to Cape “intricacies” – challenging navigational and driving skills tests and secret checks.

It is very competitive and penalties incurred are turned into fines. Entrants pay all their own costs and expenses for the event. Fundraising, donations and entrants fines from penalties go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

This year, the event will be stopping in Events Square in Falmouth on Sunday, May 19 between midday and 1pm as the cars head down to the finish at Cape Cornwall after 2pm.

Members of the public are invited to come and look at the vehicles, talk to the teams and donate to the Macmillan volunteers on hand.

The Trafalgar Way representatives will also be sharing information about the route taken, and the Falmouth historical link to Nelson’s great victory.