Craig Cheetham on going topless for charity…

‘Classics and charity go hand in hand’

I’m definitely not one for taking my top off in public. Anyone who knows me will tell you why not. That's why my heroes of this month’s charity pages are the seven selfless dads from Derbyshire mentioned in News in Brief over the page, who took to the roads of England, Wales and Scotland back in January to raise money for the mental health charity, MIND.

They took two old VW Golf MKIII convertibles, both with the top down, and at every point of the journey at least one of the brave so-and-sos had to expose his entire upper dad bod to the elements. In total, they raised over £10k for a charity that is hugely relevant at all times, but even more so in the middle of winter, which is when they did it.

Simon et al, you have my utmost respect, not only for raising muchneeded funds for a charity that I personally hold in especially high regard, but more so for being complete and utter lunatics.

It’s reassuring that there are others out there who will go to the daftest of extremes to raise both money and awareness.

The topless dads aren’t the only people who’ve gone to great lengths to combine classic cars and fundraising in recent months though, while our main feature this month tells you how you can make a small difference of your own when you dust off your classic, or hit the road in your year-round retro, to mark Drive It Day and help swell the coffers of the NSPCC. Classic cars and acts of charity go handin-hand, and it makes me hugely proud to be a part of it all.

If you, your car club or your friends have got anything planned to raise money for charity, we absolutely want to hear about it and talk about it in these pages. Please drop us a line at practicalclassics@bauermedia.co.uk and we’ll help you in any way we can.