Language centre owner Patrick Murphy has found a strange way to celebrate his school’s 15th anniversary.

He is driving 2000km across India in a 1950s-style car, dodging elephants and braving terrifying roads to raise money for charity.

"I haven’t done anything like this before, although I did always think of driving from Cape Town to Cairo," says Mr Murphy.

He is driving in an organised event, called Karma Enduro 2010. His car is a Hindustani Ambassador, which is very similar to the Morris Oxfords produced 60 years ago. The car, the terrain, and the heat make it a very challenging drive.

"Driving 2,000kms across India’s Western Ghat Mountain range and crossing the hazardous and diverse terrain of Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu in Southern India is not to be taken lightly," he says.

"As if that isn’t enough, I’m doing it in a 1950’s car. Then add elephants and other wildlife which haven’t read the Highway Code, and the most chaotic road system on earth.

"It is not a race. The challenge is to finish the course in one piece."

Mr Murphy says he wanted either a mechanic or a doctor to be his co-driver. An old University friend from Cape Town has agreed to join him – and he’s a doctor. He adds: "One advantage of the Ambassador is that most things can be repaired with a hammer, screwdriver and a pair of tights!"

Karma Enduro 2010 is raising money for two charities. They are the Rainbow Trust for the parents of children with cancer, and Ashram India.

Mr Murphy, who hopes to raise £15,000 with his trip,  has got his students involved by selling tickets to win two weeks in a Cape Town holiday flat. For more details about the school's charity drive, please click here.  

Has your language centre got an interesting story for the English UK website? Contact Susan Young on susan@englishuk.com.