Jinkies! Village shop gang transform van into Mystery Machine

A pair of 'meddling' men from a Norfolk village have transformed an unwanted truck into a replica of an iconic kids TV favourite.

The gang from the Hockering Shop and Motor Services, based outside of Dereham, will be taking the Mystery Machine on a 2,500km adventure across ten countries over five days.

Inspired by the popular cartoon Scooby-Doo, owner Mick Mason and co-manager Mateusz Kasica are taking part in international banger rally, Undie 500.

The rules of the rally stipulate that the vehicle they use must be at least 20 years old and be worth no more than £500.

Mr Kasica said: "A few of our friends have helped us with the project.

"We were hoping to raise around £500 but we've already doubled that and hit more than £1,000. We've had a lot of support from local people."

His wife and shop's co-manager Jagoda, know locally as "Blue", said she was proud of the effort that had gone into getting the truck ready.

They are undertaking the journey to fundraise for school children in the village.

The money raised will go towards developing the outdoor area at Hockering Church of England Primary Academy

Georgina Mace, who takes on the role of head teacher of Hockering Church of England Primary Academy in September, said she "really appreciated" what the pair were doing.

"As a small village school, we are always looking at budgets.

"We are planning on using the money to improve our outdoor area and give the children some exciting new resources to use."

This will be Mr Mason's fourth time undertaking this type of fundraiser but for Mr Kasica it is a completely new experience.

They have bought Scooby-Doo t-shirts to wear and also have full length Scoody-Doo onesies.

Talking about his time managing the shop with his wife, Mr Kasica added: "We took over the running as a challenge for both of us."

The couple moved to Hockering nearly two years ago, after moving to England more than ten years ago from Poland, and settled into village life before taking on the management of the shop.

Their dog Pretor, a Bernese mountain dog, is also a familiar face at the shop based on The Street.

The pair leave England on Sunday morning and will begin the rally in Belgium on Monday, July 29.

- To donate please visit the shop or send a message to Hockering Shop on Facebook.