Poppies & Purpose: Veterans set off on 2,000-mile journey to Sarajevo in support of remembrance and community

Two military veterans, Andy Davidson and Neil Kerr, are preparing to drive nearly 2,000 miles across 12 European countries in a remarkable fundraising journey that combines remembrance with a commitment to helping others.

Setting off from Diss on Saturday 26th September, the team will travel to Sarajevo in a 25-year-old Škoda Fabia, affectionately known as Car 25. The vehicle has become the centrepiece of the Poppies & Purpose campaign, telling the story of 25 years of military service while raising awareness and funds for three charities supporting veterans, communities and families.

A car with its own story

Car 25 is far more than just transport. Over the years it has helped teach three children to drive and still bears the dents and scratches of family life. Rather than restoring it, the team chose to celebrate its history by wrapping it with artwork reflecting Andy Davidson’s service in the Royal Military Police between 1987 and 2012.

The front of the car features the Tri-Service badge, while military operation names from across 25 years of service are displayed alongside the Army’s Values and Standards. Most poignantly, the roof carries a Roll of Honour listing the names of 702 British service personnel who were killed in action during that period.

The poppy represents the people behind those names – remembering service, sacrifice and comradeship.

Honouring the fallen

The journey to Bosnia carries a deeply personal purpose. Along the route, the team will pay their respects at locations connected to the Bosnian conflict before laying a wreath at the British Embassy memorial in Sarajevo.

They also hope to fulfil a special promise made to the daughter of a British soldier who was killed near Sarajevo in 1994 by laying a poppy close to the place where he lost his life.

Each evening at 10pm, the pair plan to broadcast a live Toast to Absent Friends on Facebook. With Car 25 in the background, they will read a selection of names from the Roll of Honour before raising a toast in their memory, inviting people to join them online in remembering those who never came home.

Service beyond the uniform

Joining Andy for the expedition is Neil, a former member of the Royal Army Dental Corps, who was medically discharged from the Army and is now registered disabled. Despite the challenges of ill health, Neil continues to volunteer with Street First Aid, demonstrating how service to others can continue long after military life.

His story reflects the second half of the campaign’s message – Purpose.

Supporting three important causes

Poppies & Purpose is raising funds and awareness for three organisations that represent different aspects of service and support.

Street First Aid equips ordinary people with lifesaving first aid and bleed control skills, with a particular focus on young people and communities affected by violence and knife crime. The social enterprise also promotes the installation of publicly accessible bleed control kits and is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Bridge for Heroes, based in King’s Lynn, provides practical and emotional support to serving personnel, veterans and their families. From housing and employment advice to wellbeing, social connection and one-to-one support, the charity helps ensure members of the Armed Forces community do not face life’s challenges alone.

The third cause, LAM Action, holds special significance for the family behind the journey. The charity supports women living with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM), a rare lung disease, while funding vital research and providing information and support. The campaign is inspired by the diagnosis of a family member at just 23 years old.

Following the journey

As Car 25 makes its way from the UK to Sarajevo, the team will share daily updates across their social media channels at @streetfirstaid, documenting the adventure, the remembrance events and the communities they meet along the way.

For the organisers, Poppies & Purpose is about more than reaching a destination.

“The Poppies remember those who served and sacrificed. The Purpose is about what we do with the experience, values and sense of service we carry forward afterwards.”

Supporters can follow the journey from 26 September and join the nightly Toast to Absent Friends as Car 25 travels across Europe in remembrance of the past and in support of those who need help today.

Find out more about the expedition
Visit the Poppies and Purpose Just Giving Page