A car rally, led by two fur-covered classic bangers, set off from Maidstone to Monaco raise funds to build pre-schools for children in need of a quality education in deprived areas of East Africa.

Organised by charity Parenta Trust, in partnership with Kent-based charity Fields of Life, the fifth annual banger rally will see teams drive more than 2,000 miles in five days in banger cars costing no more than £350.

The teams will travel through eight countries, experiencing the scenery of the Alps and the winding roads of the Furka Pass before reaching their final destination of Monaco on Friday.

Allan Presland, founder of Parenta Trust and chief executive of Parenta Group, said: “After seeing first-hand the enormity of the poverty and lack of education for pre-school children in post-conflict East Africa, I knew I had to do something significant to help; so I set up Parenta Trust to support the building of further pre-schools in the region.

“Our charity has the support, passion and driving-force of some remarkable people who are united in the belief that all children deserve to have a basic education, no matter where they are in the world.

“The banger rally is a fantastic way to bring people together for a great cause and have fun along the way.

“The support we receive year on year is nothing less than astounding; but we are always looking for more people to get involved.”

Parenta Trust, which supports disadvantaged children across the world by providing quality pre-school education, was founded by Mr Pressland in 2013 after a life-changing trip to Kampala in Uganda.

The stark reality of poverty and lack of education for pre-school children hit him hard on the day he found a young girl on a rubbish tip on top of a cemetery in an area known locally as “Kosovo”.

She was scavenging for food and Allan found it heartbreaking that she clearly had to fend for herself to even find food let alone be given an early years education.

He returned to the UK to set up a charity, leveraging his existing network of contacts in the early years sector and his ambitious quest to build one pre-school per year began.

So far, he has managed to build four of these life-changing pre-schools in Uganda and plans to open a fifth later this year with another two already commissioned.

Mr Pressland said: “To date, we've built four pre-schools and commissioned our fifth, giving over 800 underprivileged children the opportunity to gain an education, with much of the funding raised through our previous rallies.”

This fifth school will be built in honour of former Parenta head of marketing and trustee of the charity, Dan Carlton, who sadly passed away in December 2016 after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Dan’s parents Paul and Rowena Carlton are driving in this year’s rally to help boost the amount of funds raised by the Parenta Trust.

Mr Carlton said: “We are excited to be taking part in the Parenta Trust rally for the first time this year, in memory of our son Dan who participated in 2014.

“We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received, especially the sponsorship from the Brookfield Schools. A huge thank you to everyone.

“Dan was very moved by his visit to Uganda and naming a pre-school in his honour is a wonderful tribute to an amazing man.”