This was the first rally of this kind at the Riverside Caravan site in Banks. It was blessed with glorious weather on both days and there was a large visitor attendance. We had a club stand on both days with only the stalwart 4 cars on the Saturday butan excellent turn out on the Sunday . We gained an extra member on the Sunday with Dave Rothwell joining our ranks with his rare 1949 Model YT - welcome to the club Dave.
Below is a gallery of photos from both days with thanks to Richard Sherman, Dave Grant-Wilkie and Andrew Dickenson for the camera work
JUNE
JULY
Drive it Day - St. Helens Classic Car club - Sunday April 26th
As part of the National "Drive Your Classic Day", we were invited to join the St. Helens club at their base at St. Peter's church fields on Sunday morning. We met at Briars Hall at 9.30 am where 6 club cars were ready to leave and another 5 members met us at the Little Chef at 9.45 am. It was good to see Bill and Olive out again for their first trip of the year. Our convoy was ready to set off with Ray Travies leading because he knew where we were going - always useful. Nigel backed up with his sat nav set for the destination. On arrival there were half a dozen cars there already . Several club members decided that they would join in the fun and go on the Treasure Hunt Rally. In the meantime the field started to fill up and in no time it was full with around 50 classic cars of all shapes and sizes from a Rolls Royce down to an A35. With cups of coffee at 20p and bacon butties at £1 - it was pleasant morning out.
MAY 2009
CHOLMONDLEY CASTLE - MAY 10TH 2009
This was the first big show of the year - and possibly the furthest to travel to being 60 miles away. Despite the forecast, the weather stayed reasonably bright and dry all day. We only managed 5 cars on the stand so the weather forecast seems to have sared the other 5 cars off. We did manage to stretch ours cars out to make a reasonable display especially with the "castle" looking good in the background . The day was complete when Richard was persuaded to take his Magnette into the arena and he won the award for the best 1950s car - well done Richard - and the standard is set for the rest of the year to maintain the award wins.
TATTON PARK SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 30TH/31ST MAY 2009
The was very kind for the last week-end in May and for the first time in 3 years we had a completely hot and dry show. As usual it was an excellent event with lots of auto jumble to keep your attention and literally thousands of cars to see. We were allocated the prime A1 plot and we managed 10 cars on the Saturday and 12 on the Sunday so just abpout filling the stand. There were no awrads for us this weekend but probably the star of the show was Brendan's 1936 MGSA. He had bought this off Darren last year and is steadily restoring it from the inside out - so you can't see most of the woodwork he has replaced. Brendan trailered it to the show ( it hasn't got its engine fitted yet) and parked it with the bonnet open and a dummy model of himself(?) working on it - rumour has it that the dummy did more work over the weekend than Brendan has done in 6 months!!. The gazebo was essential in the hot sunshine - which made a change from last year sheltering from the rain. Eric bravely volunteered to stay overnight to guard the gazebo and the cars left there but he didn't join the Law family who stayed up till 6 a.m. which was about the time Eric was getting up.
Photos - Richard Sherman & Noel Skinner
LEYLAND MUSEUM OPEN DAY
17th MAY 2009
David Bryant, John Dickenson, Ralph and Richard turned out for this small show. It is always good to visit the museum and for the exhibitors fee of £2.50 you get entry to the museum and a cup of tea.
The weather stayed dry for the afternoon, but the heavens opened for the journey home
CHIPPING STEAM FAIR
23rd MAY 2009
This is a great little show if the weather is right - although perhaps the Riverside Show eclipsed it this year. There had been heavy rain in the week preceding the show and Richard and Cam had to drive their cars through 6" of liquid mud to get to the rather soggy display area. The clouds threatened but it stayed dry all day
CAPESTHORNE HALL
24/25th MAY 2009
The first of three shows at Capesthorne this year - which perhaps why only Richard went on Sunday the 24th and Dave and Sandy Grant-Wilkie made the trip to deepest Cheshire on Bank Holiday Monday the 25th. Perhaps there will be a bigger turn out in July
Richard's MGA looking rather lonely at Capesthorne
Cam and Richard's MGAs sink slowly into the mud at Chipping
Four club cars fly the flag at Leyland Motor Museum
MYERSCOUGH COLLEGE - SUNDAY JUNE 7TH
This was our first visit to this event and most enjoyable it was too. There was a lot of activity going on all over the massive college grounds so there was something to interest everyone. To cap off the day, Richard was awarded a free helicopter flight for having the best car of the day and we were awarded best club stand too.
Photos to follow shortly.
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM - SATURDAY 20TH JUNE
We decided to celebrate the summer solstice with a late night drive and barbecue.
Six club cars met up at Briars Hall and set off at 9.30 p.m , driving to Rivington Barn where we met up with another 5 club cars. We then drove the mile or two up to the visitors' car park just below the "Pigeon Loft" on Rivington Pike. We arrived at an empty car park just as the sun had set - but the cloud cover stopped is seeing a good sunset. Nevertheless there was an excellent clear view of the Lancashire coast.
We then proceeded to light the barbecues and gas cookers and very soon there was the smell of cooking bacon and sausages. The sight of 11 cars ( later to become 12 when Paul eventually found us after a tour of Lancashire) and a couple of dozen people milling around by the light of portable lamps and torches amid the swirl of smoke from the cooking seemed to deter some of the more usual frequenters of the car park and several cars were seen to arrive and turn round an leave immediately.
At midnight we celebrated Joyce's birthday ( 21 again) and she brought her own cake which everyone tucked into - thanks Joyce - you do realise you have set a precedent) . An excellent evening which we must do again.(Photos - Stuart & Louise Rogers)
Westhead Carnival - Saturday 4th July
A small local show - well worth a visit. 4 of us joned in the fun afternoon - even though our cars were somewhat split up - "no club stands here - like it or lump it". No awards either with everything going to old saloon cars. It stayed fine until about 4 p.m. when the heavens opened and the whole show scattered.
SUMMER PICNIC AND RUN - SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2009
Another new venture - a club picnic. The decision was made to converge on Scorton. Fortunately we decided to meet at the picnic area just outside the village - because as we drove through Scorton itself it was obviously full to overflowing - and the picnic area was nearly empty. After a leisurely lunch we were just about to set off when a cloud burst descended on us and we were about to abandon the run. But the sun came out again so we set off in convoy to cross the Trough of Bowland. We found that Dunsop bridge was also full and Whitewell had a diversion so we stopped for an ice cream at a lay-by and set off for Chipping - only to be interrupted by rain once again. So with the inclement weather the rest of the run was abandoned and we set off for home afetr a good afternoon. Plans for another picnic are in the pipeline.
AUSTIN 7 CLUB OPEN EVENING - BRIARS HALL
WEDNESDAY 8TH JULY 2009
We were invited to visit the Austin 7 club's meeting at Briars Hall once again. It stayed dry all evening and attracted a good turn out of Austins, MGs and motorbikes as well as assorted other classics. Judging was done by the owners of each other's cars so we could vote for the classic motorbikes and Austins. At the end of the evening Richard's Magnette took the award for Best MG to add to the other awards he has won with it already this year - well done again!.
LEIGHTON HALL , CARNFORTH - SUNDAY JULY 12TH
The rain kept away all day so the 6 club cars fortunately stayed dry unlike last weekend with a good drive both there and back. This is always a busy little show with a good turn out of cars and visitors against the back drop of the mock castle frontage of Leighton Hall. Perhaps it is a good job that it isn't more popular as the access road is quite restricted so there could be major congestion otherwise.
BANK HALL - TARLETON . SUNDAY JULY 26TH 2009
Well it's the end of July in what was supposed to be a wonderful , hot, "BBQ" summer. With a choice of shows in Flookburgh and Capesthorne , most people opted for the local one at Bank Hall. The morning dawned with leaden skies and continuous rain. and apart from a short brighter spell at lunchtime it stayed the same until it was time to go. Several brave souls ventured out on what was defintelty a" top up" day. Dave Reeves' TC was rewarded with the "Car of the Day" award in a close contest with Ralph's TC - apparently the judge was eventually swayed by the unusual colour of Dave's RAF blue model .
Photos - Andrew Dickenson
FRODSHAM - SUNDAY 2ND AUGUST
The trip to this show stemmed from the fact that Woodvale were charging all exhibitors £5 to show their vehicles. Also most of us had been to Woodvale for the last 5 or 10 years and we had become a little bored with it and the crowds and the queues to get in and out. So 7 club cars ended up at the Frodsham Rotary Club's Motor Show and it turned out to be a pleasant day weather wise. Those who turned up by the stated time of 10 am set up the gazebo in a picturesque spot under the trees (not a good idea as it turned out). By 10.30 we were getting worried that Ralph and Cyril had not arrived - had they broken down? Eventually they arrived an hour late - Ralph had run out of petrol after using 5 gallons for the short run and they found that the carb float had got stuck.
And why wasn't the spot under the trees a good idea ? Yes you guessed - the cars were covered in spots of sticky honeydew at the end of the show.
KNOWSLEY HALL - SUNDAY 16TH AUGUST
This was the first time there has been a show here and it was quite enjoyable - and so it shold be as it was organised by the same team that do Cholmondley and Capesthorne.
We had an excellent turn out of cars on our stand with around 12 cars present. It was the first show for Stuart and Louise Rogers with their Midget having passed its first MOT in 15 years - I am sure e will see them at many shows in future. It was the last time out in his GT for Ray Travies as he sold it at the show but no doubt we will see the car again as club member Dave Rothwell bought it. The usual arena events were on to the familiar dulcet tones of Les Clayton's voice and 6 club cars entered the arena for the sports cars section - well done to Ralph with his TC in getting a highly commended rosette.
TATTON PARK - SAT/SUN 22ND/23RD AUGUST
It was a lovely sunny day on the Saturday and with 12 cars we had a good display. Our club stand was near the woods for the first time in about 10 years but it turned out to be a good spot as we had both shade and sunshine. Once again Brendan brought along his MG SA and he had bdone a bit of work on it since the last tatton show - with eveidence of a fresh coat of paint on one side. It was also a good spot to pitch tents for the night as camping in the woods had been banned this year. Sunday was a bit more mixed weather with some dark clouds looking threatening. Fortunately the rain held off but several of us did get a bit wet on the way home
WOODVALE - SAT/SUN 1ST & 2ND AUGUST
We may not have had a full club representation at Woodvale but John Dickenson made up for it by winning awards with his CGT on both days - Best 1960s car on the Saturday and then best MG on the Sunday - well done John.
