A car rally to Italy sounds like a lot of fun – but this one has a serious purpose behind it.

Julian Pitts from Deal is one of the The Mini Red Arrows, a team of 15 men preparing to re-enact the Italian Job in a car rally from Dover to Turin, starting on Monday.

While the mission in their red Minis – which also involves go-karting and snowball fights – sounds like a barrel of laughs, the men are doing it to raise money for a serious cause.

They want to raise £2,000 for Talk It Out, a voluntary social support group run by Tracy Carr and based in Deal, for people who suffer from mental health issues. They have already managed to raise £1,500.

Mr Pitts, managing director of Veg UK Ltd, a fresh produce export company based in Ham, said: “Mental health is a serious issue and we’ve been supporting Tracy and her group for three or four years.

“There is a stigma surrounding mental health. It’s not like a rash on your arm, it’s something you can’t see.

“I’ve got friends who are the most bubbly people I know but they have dark times.

“In our industry too, we have a lot of stress and illness due to pressures of the job.

“It’s an issue that’s close to me and that’s why we want to raise awareness but also have fun visiting places with the cars and stealing gold.”

Formed last autumn, the Mini Red Arrows’ original team was Mr Pitts, Giles Parker, Geoff Clarke and Rob King. The members now own 10 red Mini Coopers between them.

Most of the vehicles have travelled more than 100,000 miles already, are about 14 years old and cost around £1,500.

The trip and all extra costs have been funded by the drivers. One red Ferrari will also be joining them on this trip.

Mrs Carr said: “I would like to thank the Mini Red Arrows for not only fundraising for my Talk it Out groups but also highlighting mental health and how important it is to talk about it.

“I hope they have a safe journey.”

You can donate here and follow their journey on Facebook.