After three long years, Andy McKay is finally ready to hit the road.

Back in 2012 the Carlisle musician bought himself a 1927 Morris Cowley, a car he had long admired, and planned to set out on a challenge to drive from John O'Groats to Land's End.

However the car, which he named Happy Henry, was in an urgent state of repair and Andy found that he had underestimated the amount of work that needed to be undertaken.

Not one to give up, Andy - with some help - has spent time restoring the car and will set off on the epic road trip this summer.

"We found a lot of problems. It wasn't really fit to drive," he told The Cumberland News. "There was a lot of work that needed to be done but now it's in a fit state to drive and I feel that it's good to go."

One of the main tasks was to restore the hood of Henry, which celebrates its 90th birthday today.

"It was a big job," Andy said. "I spoke to someone about it, but they weren't able to do the job so I ended up sewing it myself. There just needs to be some final preparation work on the engine and hopefully I'll be able to set off around July."

Andy, from Inglewood Road in Morton, has a long-standing relationship with Happy Henry, having first spotted the car in 1974.

"I saw it was for sale and thought about buying it but saw it'd been sold at auction," the 66-year-old said.

"It then disappeared for a while, it went down to Essex and I saw it come up on eBay a couple of times and then at an auction in Buxton, in Derbyshire."

When he first came up with the idea of completing the mammoth drive, Andy wanted to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer in memory of his late wife, Lyn - and nothing has changed.

"Getting an early diagnosis is key," he said. "Pancreatic cancer has been a big problem over the past 40 years - it's not something that can be diagnosed by a GP."

Andy, a classic car enthusiast who also owns a Triumph Stag, said he will not be driving Happy Henry to John O'Groats before taking on the challenge.

"I'm looking to get a trailer to take it up and also to put it on to bring it back from Land's End, he said. "It's a 90-year-old car, I don't want to go too hard on it. I've spoken to a few companies about possibly hiring a trailer that I can use and I'm also looking for a fuel sponsor.

"I've also bought a camper van which will be used as a support vehicle, although I might have to drive some of the way without support. We'll have to see how it goes."

In its interesting life, Happy Henry also belonged to the Carlisle writer and broadcaster Daisy Washington.

"I'd be interested to know who owned the car before her," Andy said. "I think she owned it from about 1930 until the 1970s. Before then, I suspect there was only one other previous owner.

"I'd be interested to hear from anyone who could provide that information."

Andy is looking for as many volunteers as possible to help with the challenge. Anyone who would like to lend a hand can contact him on 07900 634252 or email ocheye@mac.com