TWO West Devon teenagers and a friend will be cooped up in a car together for three weeks to drive thousands of miles for an epic charity road trip to Gambia.

As many people recover on Boxing Day from overindulging over the festive period, Amy McQueen and Eve Jones, from Yelverton, and their friend Lois Raines, from Plymouth, will be setting off on the Plymouth to Dakar challenge in a bid to raise lots of money for St Luke’s Hospice.

The three-week challenge takes participants across eight countries in a car that costs under £100, sourced by themselves.

At only 18-years-old, the trio are this year’s youngest participants — and the youngest all female team ever to take on the charity car rally.

The girls will be facing many challenges along the way, including several border crossings and fixing any mechanical faults themselves. While most of the trip is on tarmac roads, the highlight is set to be the two-day crossing of the Sahara Desert as they travel down the coast of west Africa.

Eve said: ‘I’m super excited to take on this massive challenge, but also pretty scared — it is a big undertaking that I don’t think we could ever be completely prepared for. However, the stress is really driving me to raise as much money as we can for St Luke’s.’

In 2014, Amy shaved her head for St Luke’s Hospice, raising £1,200.

Amy said: ‘It’s a charity really close to my heart and this is another great opportunity to fundraise for them.

‘My long-term goal is to study medicine at university; I really admire the work they do there.’

All three girls are taking a year out after finishing school this summer.

Lois said: ‘Eve and I are learning how to drive at the moment and hope that at least one of us will pass before we go to help Amy out with the driving!’

The trio is looking for any donations from the public in terms of car parts and kit in return for publicity.

A full list of kit they need can be found on their blog teamminorissue.word press.com

Any donations to the team’s fundraising can be made at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamminorissue or contact them directly on their Facebook page ‘Team Minor Issue’.