Maison to Marrakesh

Derbyshire businesswoman sets sights on gruelling desert challenge

She, and her friend, will be faced with 2,200km of extreme off-roading

For most business owners, celebrating a decade of their company would call for a lavish party, plenty of food and drink and maybe even a famous face or two. However, the owner of Maison Mes Aime on Chatsworth Road in Chesterfield, isn't like most business owners and, as such, she's decided to mark 10 years of her restaurant by taking part in an extrordinary rally.

Marcella Kirk opened Maison Mes Aime in 2012 and has watched as the business has grown and grown, including adapting it while the restaurant was closed during the pandemic. Now, to celebrate the anniversary, she's joining her good friend Helen Tait Wright, on embarking on a 2,200 kilometers rally in their 4x4 Land Rover 'Precilla'.

But what awaits them isn't your every day, run of the mill rally course: "The challenge is 2,200km across Morroco all terrain, desert, mountains and ocean." said Miss Kirk. That includes getting their vehicle up and down massive sand dunes and completing the rally within the eight day time limit.

The event has been set up for female only and mixed teams from all over the world who'll decend on the North African country on October 1, but Miss Kirk says her participation in the event came about as a result of long awaited catch up with Mrs Tait Wright. "I went home [to France] for the first time in nearly three years three weeks ago. We went for dinner catching up with everything she's done and she wasn't sure if she'd got the right navigator and, I'd had a few glasses of wine, and I said I'd come."

The aim of the whole rally is to raise 20,000 euros for Cancer Research and is being organised by a French company. Along with the 2,200km multi-day course, the teams will face a number of special challenges including who can change a tyre the fastest in the desert and who can navigate their driver the best while the driver is blindfolded.

The pair have already been training for the event and getting used to the car they'll be taking with Miss Kirk adding that the training hasn't really phased her so far: "I didn't scream, I laughed when we went down these huge inclines but that's because I trust her, she is a great driver. After we'd been round a few times she said 'right it's your turn now' and I took Precilla down some inclines I didn't think I'd do and I loved it."

Mrs Tait Wright will be behind the wheel for the vast majority of the rally but it'll be up to Miss Kirk to learn all the bits of a pieces of their Land Rover in case something goes wrong during the eight-day event. It's a challenge for sure but one Miss Kirk is really looking forward to: "I am getting to go on this rally with someone who is highly experienced, this isn't Thelma and Louise, to go with someone who's been across the Sahara twice and I happen to be her friend and I'm getting the opportunity to do it why wouldn't I?"

The pair are now on the hunt for businesses, companies and others to come on board to sponsor them on this incredible adventure across the Sahara Desert.

While the pair are full of excitement for what is to come, Miss Kirk does admit to feeling a bit nervous, mainly about the possiblity of letting her friend down: "I don't want to get it wrong, I don't want to get the navigation wrong because she's relying on me. I know she can drive that car and I've never navigated."

Miss Kirk adds that the appeal of doing the rally for charity is one of the main attractions: "The fact that we can raise a lot of money as well is an interesting factor. A lot of rallys are businesses they usually to make money but this one is 100% to the charities, a apart from the expenses, the money raised by you entering the rally goes to charity, that's quite piorneering actually."

The countdown is well and truly on for the rally and, as Miss Kirk says, the perfect way to mark 10 years of her restaurant being open to the public. "What better way to celebrate 10 years than me going off on an adventure, this place [Maison] was completely inspired by France and this is bringing it all back together for me."