CHARITY-minded petrol heads raised more than £1,500 for an organisation supporting children and young people with cancer, thanks to a local car meet.

Surrey Car Meet came together at Mercedes-Benz World in Brooklands on Sunday last weekend (5 February) which was World Cancer Day, raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer.

The group were inspired to support the charity after losing a close friend and fellow car enthusiast to cancer at the age of 24.

The event attracted more than 400 cars, and included a special guest appearance from celebrity Yianni Charalambous, who has a popular TV show, Yianni: Supercar Customiser, on the Dave TV channel.

“We’re really proud to be supporting Young Lives vs Cancer this year, it feels great to be doing our bit to help this amazing charity,” said Ed from Surrey Car Meet.

“Cancer turns families’ lives upside down, it’s so important that Young Lives vs Cancer are there from the point of diagnosis to provide all the support that they need so we want to raise as much as possible. I’m so pleased at how much was raised for this great cause.”

Last year in Surrey, Young Lives vs Cancer helped 111 families. The group gave out 79 financial grants to the value of £13,750, helping families to cope with the costs of cancer.

A report from the charity found that families with a child on active treatment spend an extra £730 a month. 

Rose Bailey, senior fundraising manager at Young Lives vs Cancer, said: “When cancer strikes young lives, we step in to help families find the strength to face everything cancer throws at them. We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work and so we can’t thank Surrey Car Meet enough for their fantastic support.

“Thanks to the group, and everyone who attended, we will be able to help even more young people with cancer and their families.”

Surrey Car Meet was created in 2016 to provide a space for the petrol head community to join together and share their love of cars. Ed said the very substance of Surrey Car Meets is its well-known “Cars & Coffee” breakfast meets – these mornings allow car enthusiasts of all kinds to come together to share their passion for motorcars over a coffee and a bacon roll.

To find out more about Surrey Car Meet's visit their Instagram page: www.instagram.com/surreycarmeet, or www.surreycarmeet.co.uk