TWO brothers have taken part in a Top Gear-esque five-day rally challenge to raise funds in memory of their father who died while on an emergency callout with Pwllheli lifeboat volunteers.

John King and Mark McCann have raised £340 for the British Heart Foundation to honour their father, Bob Wright MBE.

In 2015, Bob suffered a fatal heart attack aged 63 during a rescue mission to aid crew on a yacht that had run aground.

Born and raised in the region, Bob was a popular Pwllheli county councillor who had represented his district for eight years.

He received an MBE in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours for nearly 40 years of RNLI service, having been a volunteer at Pwllheli Lifeboat Station since 1970.

To raise funds in his memory, his sons John and Mark and friend Jack Shaw undertook a fundraising challenge earlier this month, taking on the Monte Carlo or Bust rally in a clapped-out 18-year-old Honda Civic.

Organised by Bust Rallies, the race spanned three days and six European countries.

The feat of endurance saw the trio make their way from Bolton to the start-line in Namur, Belgium, and drive approximately 1,000 miles to Monte Carlo.

John and Mark then set off from neighbouring Nice back to Bolton, totting up a total of over 2,400 miles in five days.

John, who is a marketing director at law firm Your Legal Friend, said: “It means a lot that we were able to complete this rally in memory of our father.

“He was always passionate about his work saving lives with the RNLI.

“We were looking to follow his lead and honour his memory by doing something adventurous to help raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

“Taking on this trip in an ageing Civic was something of an endurance challenge but we managed to go the distance and had a great time raising money for a very worthy cause.”

If you would like to add to the trio’s total, you can visit their Virgin Money fundraising page at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/NoV5NoProblem

In 2017, a new D class 811 lifeboat named Robert J Wright was unveiled in honour of Bob Wright MBE at Pwllheli Lifeboat Station.

www.Bustrallies.com hosts four rallies throughout the year and has seen teams raise over £100,000 for various charitable causes over the past few years.