West Lancashire MG Owners Club - Everything you need for MG's in the North West.

TOM FORD 1938 -2008

Tom purchased his first MG (a 1948 TC) in 1965 for £75. It was in daily use during 1965-1967 even making room for a carrycot in the back and was then laid up in his garage for 28 years. After taking early retirement Tom then gave it a full nut & bolt restoration during 1994/95 after taking it totally to pieces. Around about this time Tom joined West Lancashire MG Owners Club. He was made very welcome especially as he had the then only “old style” square rig type MG in our club. Tom took this car to shows all over the North West and won many awards with his TC, a tribute to his engineering skills in rebuilding the car to such a high standard. In 1998 Tom joined the committee of the MG club and served as the events secretary for 5 years (with a break in 2000-2001 with ill health). He took the events very seriously organising the cars on the club stand with a wave of his trademark walking stick. He took great pride in the club stand winning awards for best stand at the shows on many occasions. Camping overnight at shows in his homemade Reliant Robin caravan conversion (known to all as the “Plastic Pig” and towed behind his TC and later the TF) were some of his favourite times. He was always ready to help club members solve problems with their cars and was a leading member of the committee as the club developed its successful Festival of Transport at Scarisbrick Hall.

The culmination of Tom’s time at West Lancs MG was being elected Chairman of the club in January 2007 and he continued to fulfil his duties throughout last year despite gradually failing health. He was ever present at club and committee meetings and the club members will sorely miss his presence.

OLIVE JUMP

1936 - 2009

Olive died on May 7th after a brave 2 year battle with cancer. Olive, together with husband Bill had been a member of the club for around 10 years. Initially joining us with her red Midget 1500 which had been Olive's everyday car since the 1980s. Olive and Bill very quickly became involved with all the activities of the club. It was Olive who suggested a tombola stall at the Club show at Scarisbrick Hall and successfully raised funds for her favourite children's charity as well as helping with all other aspects of the show. She also loved the club events and shows, especially the camping weekends. Olive and Bill travelled with their Midget and trailer tent to shows as far afield as Flookburgh in Cumbria and Catton Hall in Staffordshire. Eventually Olive needed a more comfortable car so Bill bought a very nice black MGBGT and they were able to continue travelling to the shows in style , even venturing on to continental Europe for longer trips getting as far as Spain. Olive , together with Bill were awarded the Dargan trophy in 2006 for all their work for the club. Most club members though will remember Olive for the special apple pies she made and shared out at the shows with all members present. She will be greatly missed by all of us.

Anthony McAlmont

(Tony) Woods

1932 - 2020

Tony joined our club in February 1997, having just bought a white 1979 MGBGT to celebrate his retirement. He was awarded the Club Supporter of the year Shield in 1998 and elected to the committee in 1999. In 2001 we decided that the committee needed someone to Chair the meetings and Tony was elected to this post as our First ever Chairman. He continued in this post for 3 years and during this time he helped develop the Club Show at Scarisbrick Village Hall. He decided to step down from the committee in 2004 due to pressure from his other activities but was still a welcome visitor at club meetings. He was awarded Lifetime Membership of the club in 2005 - the first club member to receive this honour. Tony's health deteriorated after a stroke in 2014 but he still managed to care for his wife Eileen who had gone blind 5 years before.When Eileen died last December, his daughter says that he went downhill rapidly. RIP Tony.

Good Bye Ralph

Some memories of Ralph

All of us at the club are still in a state of shock following the sudden death of Ralph last month. I have been inundated with messages from club members, all of them with the same theme saying such things as: - Ralph was gentle man, a genteel man and a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

I can honestly say that I have never heard Ralph curse or swear – club members who have helped fix cars with him that have provoked them to get annoyed – but Ralph never let it get him down. Another club member says that to them he epitomised the best of our Club, always welcoming new members and remembering names - which is increasingly a problem for many of us as we age - and genuinely being interested enough to listen. It was this friendliness that attracted new members to the club and kept a large proportion of them, so much so that we hit a new membership milestone of over 90 in 2018. Of course, his (very occasional) gaffes when introducing club meeting were a source of delight and showed just how human he was.

Although he was not at his best when he went to Tatton Show in August he was still on form. If you remember the day. Sun and rain. As he returned to the crowded gazebo he noticed his seats were occupied - he quipped to those who were sitting there “I used to have some chairs like that" – he soon got his seats back.

Teaming up for a club treasure hunt in Briars Hall grounds Ralph said to his navigator “You solve the clues and I'll drink the prize bottle of wine". They won and he did.

It was truly a privilege to have known Ralph

Ralph’s Milestones at our club.

Around 1998 Ralph joined the club and soon made his mark by taking part in all the club activities and quickly making new friends. So much so that in 2000 he was awarded Club supporter Shield by the club committee. Ralph soon changed his rubber bumper MGB for a slightly earlier chrome bumper model in a bright shade of red – Ralph sold this car to buy a modern MGTF but then bought back again and still owned it up to this year. Then Ralph spent some time tracking down his first MG, a TC that in 1965 he did his courting of his future wife Lynne. Eventually in 2003 Ralph managed to buy back the TC and with Lynne’s support he had it restored (taking about 3 years). Ralph told us that they would have it ready for Easter – unfortunately they didn’t specify which Easter and many of the committee were preparing to drive to the restorers to persuade them to speed it up – but Ralph was more patient. The TC arrived back looking absolutely magnificent but unfortunately Lynne did not live to see it – but it held such memories for him which was why Ralph always said that he would never sell it – ever. It won the Premiere Class of the Pride of Ownership the following year 2007 for the first time. He told the full story for one of our newsletters a few years ago. In 2006 Ralph joined the committee and took on the role of Mid-Month organiser – a task he did for the next 10 years.

In 2008, at the January AGM, Ralph’s popularity in the club was never more evident when we had to have an election for the remaining committee places there being 3 people too many for the places available. Ralph was the only one of the candidates to be voted for by every club member and received the maximum possible number of votes. That year, 2008, he was awarded the Dargan Trophy. In 2013 I remember Ralph telling me that he was getting a bit embarrassed by his TC winning the Pride of Ownership so often and did I think that he should stop entering it having won it for the 5th time– of course I encouraged him to keep going – it was other club members who were voting after all . By 2016 his TC had won the Premiere class of the Pride of Ownership for a record 8th time. The Premier Shield was presented to Ralph's son Steven, to be kept in perpetuity with Ralph's TC - which Steven intends keeping.

In 2017 he was elected as Club Chairman and then in 2020 re-elected as chairman for a 4th year. This year, 2021 was his 5th year as Chairman and his TC Won the Pride of Ownership for a record 9th time.

The committee has just voted for the Car of the Day Trophy, introduced in 2018, to be named for him and it is now to be known as

“The Ralph Greenhalgh Memorial Trophy”.

Ralph, we will all miss you so much - Rest In Peace