SIR Alan Sugar's Apprentice sidekick Nick Hewer is to drive 10,000 miles to Mongolia in a 20-year-old Renault to raise money for a Salisbury children's charity.

Mr Hewer, who helps Sir Alan vet potential employees on the popular BBC show, will travel across five mountain ranges and three deserts in the car he calls Hortense to raise funds for Hope and Homes for Children.

Sir Alan has already sponsored his associate £1,000, writing "good luck you old rambler" on Hewer's sponsorship page on the Justgiving website.

The 64-year-old will drive through Romania, Moldova and Ukraine, where Hope and Homes for Children have projects.

Additionally, Hewer's trip will take him through France, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan before he arrives in Mongolia's capital, Ulan Bator.

He said: "I am setting out on an overland trip to the capital of Mongolia. Why am I driving 10,000 miles in an old car that can barely reach 60mph on a good road? Because it's time for an adventure and because, in doing so, I am hoping to raise lots of money for Hope and Homes for Children."

Hope and Homes for Children gives hope to the poorest children in the world - those who are orphaned, abandoned or vulnerable - by enabling them to grow up within the love of a family and the security of a home, so that they can fulfil their potential.

The charity works in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Africa. In CEE their work is focussed on closing institutions and moving children into family-based care and in Africa they provide a vital lifeline for families at risk of breakdown due to the pressures of poverty, disease and conflict.

For more information about the work of Hope and Homes for Children visit www.hopeandhomes.org