Morelli Organised DEBRA Rally Raises over £20,000

This year’s DEBRA Car Rally headed to France for a tour of the Loire Valley region.

The four-day rally was organised by Morelli Sales Director and DEBRA Ambassador, Mark Moring, and planned by Morelli Director of Strategy & Growth, Ruth Moring-Beale. The route allowed for the attendees to drive their cars along some great roads, staying in beautiful French châteaus and visiting towns and landmarks along the way.

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Château de Cocove

The first stop took place at Château de Cocove, a four star hotel situated in an 18th-century château in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region, between Calais and Saint Omer. Today, the building is surrounded by greenery and set in 11 hectares of grounds, deep in a forest clearing. There were 16 cars on the rally and they all parked outside the Chateau for a photo shoot (below). There were a range of car models including Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Land Rover, Masserati, Mustang, Porsche, and Lambourghini - which was on its first journey with just over 200 miles on the clock at this first stop.

Palace of Versailles

The second day saw the cars move off on a variety of routes heading for lunch at the Palace of Versailles. The cobbled streets here proved a challenge for some of the sports cars, but they managed to stop by for a lunch stop before heading to the furthest point on the rally at Château Chambord.

Ch âteau Chambord

As the second biggest château in France, behind the Palace of Versailles, Chambord is one of the most amazing constructions of the Renaissance period. Construction began in 1519 started by King Francoise I, it was planned but not completed by him, finally being finished 125 years later by Louis XIV. It was placed on the first list of historical monuments in France in 1840, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. Everywhere the cars parked they were the centre of attention, even as they arrived at the château.

The next day started very early for a couple of the rally group who got on a hot air ballon at 5:30am as the wind took them straight over the château with blue skies and a rising sun captured on video. That evening, the attendees, including Ruth and Mark (pictured below on one of the open terraces of Chambord), were shown around several rooms of the house - although not all 340 of them are open to the public.

A rest day at the château was in the plans, allowing everyone to explore the grounds, educate themselves on the history, and enjoy some of the local cuisine and wine.

The Westminster, Le Touquet

The final stop on the way home was at Le Touquet where coincidentally a car show was taking place with many historic and stunning cars on display and judging taking place. Slim’s Detailing sponsored the rally providing all the cars with the essentials (pictured above). Everyone was gifted a glass cleaner, bug spray, and quick detailer in a compact carry bag that just about found a place most of the cars. Although not all had space for a bag even this size!

The final funds raised for DEBRA was well over £20,000, an amazing amount which will go far in helping those affected by EB. There were also many pledges for holiday stays for families with EB being donated on the final night in Le Touquet. We have intense gratitude for those who joined us and dug deep to support DEBRA, we hope you enjoyed the ride and we already look forward to the next one.