At first glance in 1994 the signs did not look good for two brothers who planned to drive a battered Trabant car to the Artic Circle to help raise money for St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston.

For Steven and Lewis Evans broke down no fewer than six times on Easter Monday between Lancaster and Ulverston!

The two Morecambe men planned to drive their East German-built Trabant to the North Cape, inside the Artic Circle.

They had already raised £6,000 of their £12,000 target, which would be divided between St Mary’s Hospice and Slynedales Cancer Care Centre in Lancaster.

Steven Evans explained: “We are leaving at the beginning of May and we reckon it will take two weeks to make the 3,000-mile journey – then again, it could take two months!”

Most of the money raised so far had come from companies advertising themselves on the car. But individuals could also sponsor the intrepid duo.

The brothers were on their way to Ulverston to publicise their trip when they broke down.

The last fundraising Trabant trip they made, from Land’s Ends to John O’Groats, raised thousands of pounds.

Lewis Evans said: “This time, we are raising money for St Mary’s because it was one of their employees who came up with the idea of the trip to the Arctic.”

He said driving a Trabant to the Arctic might seem silly, but added: “I have owned 17 Trabants now and it’s become a passion. I even sold one to the rock group U2 for £3,500.”

In 1994, St Mary’s Hospice received a £1,000 donation from the Freemasons’ Grand Charity.

The presentation was made by Edward Saunders, assistant provincial grand master for West Lancashire, accompanied by the chair for the Northern Group of Lodges and Chapters, Wilfred Hackett.

The cheque was received by the chair of the hospice trustees, Anne Robinson.

In 1993 the Freemasons’ Grand Charity made a total of 139 donations to hospices, amounting to £175,300.