A convoy of elaborately decorated scrap cars will be revving their way across the UK in a bid to raise thousands of pounds for an Attleborough special school.

Alex Brake, 27, whose family own The Bird in Hand pub in Wreningham, is looking for drivers to take part in his Scrappage Rally 2011 which will see vehicles, bought for no more than �250, travelling from the pub, to Wales, to Scotland and then back to Norfolk within three days.

Money gathered through sponsorship and the auctioning of all the cars at the end of the rally will be donated to Chapel Road School, which teaches children with complex educational needs.

The wacky event, which begins on September 2, is open to 50 cars with 25 places taken so far.

Mr Brake, of The Gables, Ashwellthorpe, said the pub had chosen to raise funds for the school as its charity for the year but he was inspired to organise the driving challenge after meeting its teachers and students.

'I came to the school to meet the children and the teachers on behalf of the pub so I could see what we were raising money for. I saw all the classes and the sixth form and I was very touched,' he said.

On the rally, he added: 'It was partly inspired by Top Gear. People want to be a part of it because it's fun. Top Gear always have fun and I think it's our turn to have some too.'

The donated money will be used to pay for trips, including flights and accommodation, for the school's sixth form students giving them the chance to enjoy new cultures and experiences which they may never have been able to before.

Staff have already bought a car to take part in the rally and the youngsters are already coming up with colourful ideas for its design.

Headteacher Karin Heap said: 'This is really amazing. The money will go towards the sixth form – it will give them something they would not normally have a chance to do.

'For us residential overnight stays are really important but it's expensive and hard to prepare although we would like to do more of that.'

Along the rally route, drivers will have the opportunity to take part in a variety of activities including time trials on a race track, paint balling, a barbecue and camping.

Points will be awarded or deducted according to how well each car performs in terms of criteria such as reliability, decoration and speed, with the overall winner at the end of the three days being gifted a day at the Lotus test track.

If successful, Mr Brake hopes to repeat the event to possibly include abroad destinations.

For more information or to sign-up a car, email Alex Brake via alex.brake@live.co.uk