A POPULAR charity challenge is set to return next year – with organisers saying it will be the final one.

Established in 2016, the Twin Town Challenge sees Witney residents travel to Le Touquet in northern France.

Teams buy a car for £500 (or less) and jazz it up however they like, before making the journey across the Channel.

On April 29 next year, a fleet of cars will leave Blenheim Palace, with the aim to raise as much cash as possible.

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Once in France, there will be a series of challenges, in aid of Charlbury-based SpecialEffect.

Organiser Brendon Cross said: “We are delighted that all our sponsors and teams have waited another two years to take part in this amazing spectacle.

“This is the final ever Twin Town Challenge, and the more cars that participate, the more likely it is that we will hit our fundraising target for SpecialEffect of over £1 million.

“All the costs of the event will be covered by sponsorship, which means that every pound paid by the teams in entry fees as well as the fundraising by the teams, goes straight to the charity.”

Fifty additional places have been made available for the event which will come to an end when the cars return to Blenheim Palace on May 2.

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Car decoration and fancy dress will be based on the theme Battle of the Bands.

“We’re looking forward to seeing people dressed as ABBA, Village People, Spice Girls and Queen driving around northern France in London taxis and stretched limos, as well as more ordinary vehicles specially decorated for the event,” said Mr Cross.

Highlights of the challenge will include a street party with live bands and a day at Abbeville circuit.

Since the inaugural Twin Town Challenge in 2016, £800,000 has been raised for SpecialEffect.

It is the drive to raise money for the charity which many participants enjoy most about the experience.

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Steve Neal, of Oxford-based accountants Shaw Gibbs, said: “What thrills me about Twin Town is the inclusivity.

“Everyone feels like they’re part of an amazing cause – SpecialEffect – and that inclusivity is precisely what SpecialEffect offers to people of any age who might otherwise feel they are unable to enjoy gaming with their mates or even change TV channel by themselves.”

SpecialEffect helps the lives of people with physical disabilities by enabling them to play video games.

The charity does this by using technology ranging from modified joypads to eye control.

Businesses or individuals wanting to enter next year’s Twin Town Challenge can reserve their place on the starting grid online, at twintown.org.uk