IT is an epic journey that will sweep half way across the world.

A group of Hampshire engineering students are gearing up to drive more than 10,000 miles to Mongolia in a modified ambulance.

None of them have medical skills or first aid training – but that has not stopped University of Southampton students Oli Hampden-Martin, Callum Livingston, Will Sexton and George Tuckey.

They are doing sixweek trek as part of the Charity Mongol Rally along with GoHelp, a project that aims to donate emergency response vehicles to hospitals in the country.

They are hoping to raise £12,000, to pay for a 4x4 vehicle which will be transformed into an ambulance.

Mechanic in the team Will Sexton, said: “We have not let it sink in that much, there are some fears we have like lots of dangerous roads and we have heard stories of people attacked at gun point, but we are confident that it will run smoothly.”

“We know that on some roads we will be more than 500 miles away from a big town, but we are always up for a challenge – that is what our degrees are about.”

Their drive starts on July 11, where they will set off from Belgium, go through Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Romania and then drive around the Black Sea.

From there they will go through Turkey, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan and then into Russia before reaching their final destination of Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.

To find out more about the challenge or donate visit Southampton2mongolia.com