WHEN selecting the right vehicle for a 10,000-mile rally across mountains, jungles and deserts a 1983 Dennis Fire Engine might not be your first choice.

However, for Tom Lawler, 25, and five friends, it offered the perfect combination of size, power and sheer impracticality guaranteed to get them noticed on their charity quest.

Well almost, before setting off on the Mongol Raleigh, a four-week driving adventure from Prague in the Czech Republic to Ulaanbataar in Mongolia, the self-confessed “loveable idiots” decided to cover it in fur.

Mr Lawler, a former Tebay resident now serving in the 21 Signal Regiment based in Wiltshire, said the team spotted “Dennis” on Ebay and, with just 25 minutes left in the auction, they snapped him up.

“The Mongol rally is about more than just travelling to Mongolia,” he said. “It is about how you get there. You need to travel with a bit of style and sophistication and a lot of humour. We wanted to make an impact and raise a few eyebrows.”

Last year, several members of the team, who call themselves Great Balls of Fur, completed the Africa Rally in two Bedford Rascals covered in fake zebra and cheetah fur.

So for their next mission on July 18, it seemed only natural to continue the furry theme.

Kitted out with a television, Playstation, gin bar, flashing lights, smoke machine and fireman’s helmets, Dennis certainly boasts those essential items needed for a gruelling voyage and the team cannot wait to hit the road.

“We are really looking forward to it,” said Mr Lawler. “It has been about nine months in the planning and now we have reached the final stages we are raring to go.”

The team hopes to raise £5,000 for Christina Noble's Children's Foundation, a charity that works with orphaned children in Mongolia, and Help For Heroes, which runs a rehabilitation centre for injured servicemen and women.

For more information, sponsorship details and to track the teams progress visit www.greatballsoffur.com.