Last updated at 20:23, Thursday, 12 April 2012

An Eaglesfield woman will drive 10,000 miles to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Louisa Knox, 21, of Westcroft, and her family have raised £5,000 over the years for the trust because her twin brother Peter has the condition.

They hope it will go towards finding a cure.

Louisa has signed up for the Mongol Rally in July.

She and a group of friends will drive across Europe, through the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Kazakhstan to reach Mongolia.

They will set off from the UK on July 13 and hope to arrive in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar six weeks later.

Louisa, who is studying physiotherapy at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “We wanted to travel after finishing university and we thought this was something completely different.

“I do like driving and I probably know a bit more than my friends, but I’m not an expert.”

The group recruited another friend, who is a fully qualified mechanic, to give them tips on what to do if they get into trouble.

Rally cars have to be less than one litre and under 10 years old and Louisa’s group has set a £1,000 budget to buy a car on auction website eBay.

Peter is studying maths and statistics at Warwick University and has suffered from cystic fibrosis since birth.

Louisa said: “He is restricted in doing some normal things such as going out with friends, but he does really well, is a good squash player and he tries not to let it affect him.”

First published at 19:24, Thursday, 12 April 2012
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk