It's Wolves in Europe!
Three intrepid Wolves fans who took a roadtrip of a lifetime through Italy in an old car autographed by the Wolves team have raised nearly £1,000 for charity. Three intrepid Wolves fans who took a roadtrip of a lifetime through Italy in an old car autographed by the Wolves team have raised nearly £1,000 for charity. Lifelong friends Mark Riley, aged 37, Peter Shore, 36, and Jonathan Jackson, 38, spent a week on the road in an old Austin Maxi when they drove from Wolverhampton to Rome in the Home to Rome rally. The car was signed by the entire Wolves team, as well as manager Mick McCarthy and former owner Sir Jack Hayward. The trio were raising sponsorship money for Wolves Aid, a club project which arranges sporting events for children in the city. Check out our photo gallery and read the full story in today's Express & Star
Three intrepid Wolves fans who took a roadtrip of a lifetime through Italy in an old car autographed by the Wolves team have raised nearly £1,000 for charity.
Lifelong friends Mark Riley, aged 37, Peter Shore, 36, and Jonathan Jackson, 38, spent a week on the road in an old Austin Maxi when they drove from Wolverhampton to Rome in the Home to Rome rally.
Check out our photo gallery.
The car was signed by the entire Wolves team, as well as manager Mick McCarthy and former owner Sir Jack Hayward.
The men drove 1,500 miles, at the end of September, in the 1979 car emblazoned in the team colours as part of the rally which draws hundreds of entrants from around the world every year.
The trio were raising sponsorship money for Wolves Aid, a club project which arranges sporting events for children in the city. Mark, who now lives in London and works as a freelance media producer, said: "We collected £825 for Wolves Aid which we are glad can go to the local youngsters with special needs in the Wolverhampton area.
"We came in at a very respectable 14th place.
"It was a fantastic experience, as the Maxi did us proud and took us all the way to Rome. You can probably imagine we received lost of admiring glances and questions along the way from people trying to read all the signatures.
"We had a few problems the further south we drove. The distributor started playing up as we got past Venice but a very helpful mechanic sorted it out."
Eleven players including Freddy Eastwood as well as former owner Sir Jack Hayward, manager Mick McCarthy and vice-president Rachael Heyhoe-Flint gathered at Molineux to wish the group luck before the rally.
The group, all from Albrighton and former pupils of Wolverhampton Grammar School, originally snapped up the car for £100 on eBay and planned to scrap it in Italy.
But after the Wolves players signed it at Molineux they decided to use it to raise even more money.
The car was put on auction website eBay, with a starting bid of just 99p, and was eventually sold to an Italian bidder for £160.
The lifelong friends with the car in Wolverhampton.
The signed car took part in the Home to Rome rally.
The friends make a quick stop at St Peter's Square.
The orange Wolves tour car overlooking The Alps.
The friends enjoy a traditional celebration meal.
Wolves vice president Rachael Heyhoe-Flint's autograph.
