Ring in the new

Published: December 21th, 2020

It's traditional at this time of year to look back over what we have done as a club in the last twelve months, but to reflect on 2020 inevitably means reflecting on how difficult it has been. And yet, as far as I am aware, all of our merry band of club members remain free of Covid-19 and those that have had it have fully recovered, so that is truly a reason to be thankful. 

Our club year started on a high note, when back in January many of us gathered together for a weekend party to celebrate Christmas and the New Year. Organised by club members Karen and Kate, it was a great success, with positive feedback from everyone who was able to attend. If it was not for the current situation, there is no doubt that we would be preparing for another such party to take place early in 2021. Of course, that's impossible now, but we can assure members that as soon as we can have a party we will. A couple of our members have offered land on which to have a BBQ and to camp on overnight, so that could prove fun. We could even make it fancy dress if everyone is game for that.

In February we began working on a detailed plan of which classic car shows we should attend as a club. Our list was more comprehensive than it had ever been in the past, with over 30 shows earmarked, including ones in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It would have been an extremely busy year and we were all looking forward to it. Then everything came crashing down, when in March we started to realise just how serious the situation with the virus had become. A few days before our regular club meeting in March we reviewed the situation and decided that we should cancel it for the safety of our members. As it was, a couple of days before the meet, gatherings were officially restricted, so we wouldn't have been able to go ahead with it even if we had decided to.

April's Drive It Day is a club highlight, but by the time it was due to take place, lock down was in full force. Some of our member's got their cars out on to the driveway to mark the day, but most stayed tucked away in garages.  One positive thing that came out of being confined to quarters was the extra time it afforded us to tackle those jobs on our cars that had been left too long.  Much got done. April also saw the club's first AGM and elections, which we conducted online as we could not meet as we normally would. 

By the summer, the restrictions had been relaxed a little. We still couldn't officially meet as a club, but in small groups of friends we did some drives together. These were a tremendous tonic I found; it was great to drive, but even better to spend a few socially distanced moments with friends. It wasn't until August that a few members got together for a show, albeit not an official club event. That was followed by another event in early September.

Sadly, August also saw the loss of Diane Pringle who was a well known and respected figure in the Triumph TR world. Diane was a great friend to the club and to me personally, and I'll never forget her support and kindness. She was a lady and a character the like of which we seldom meet these days. 

Unfortunately, by November, things were going backwards and now in late December some of our members find themselves in tier 4 lock down, but despite that we can at least stay in touch and help keep each other positive.  As a club, we have resisted going down the Zoom online meeting route, but for the first time just last week we hosted one. Not having done one myself before, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. For the first part of the meeting, we held our usual Christmas quiz. Five teams took part, with Jane and Sinclair coming out triumphant, just one point ahead of Rachel and Mike. Well done to everyone that took part. Our second Zoom meeting of the night gave us the opportunity to wish each other a merry Christmas. We were joined by Tina and Toney, and Simon for this. Although these online meetings are not ideal, as things stand we do not have much else, so I think we'll do more until we can get together again properly.  Our other asset is the Facebook Group which is well used by members.

As someone who knew about the most difficult of times once said, "If you're going through hell, keep going." With the support of our families and our friends, that's all we can do. One of the things our club members know how to do well is to have a laugh and that's probably the best defence we have against the gloom. With today being the winter solstice, we are at a turning point of the year, giving us hope of longer daylight hours and warmer weather ahead. Time to ring in the new.

From the committee of the White Horse CVE, Chris, Jason, Kate, Pat, Tony, and myself, we wish all our members the best possible Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Here's a little reminder of some of 2020's better days.

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Roll on 2021

Published: October 20th, 2020

After the brief rest from stringent Covid restrictions we enjoyed in August and September, allowing a few car shows to go ahead, we seem to be heading back to square one. I don't think many of us are particularly surprised by that, but it's nonetheless a depressing fact. I've already heard that some classic car events that were due to take place early next year have been cancelled. And of course, I'm sure that you have already guessed that we have had to cancel our monthly meet that was scheduled for October 21st. In reality, I cannot see the club now being able to stage a meeting until some time next year. At least with the shorter days and colder weather, we might not feel that we are missing out on driving our classics quite so much as we would on a sunny day. 

Following on from the great success of last January's Christmas party, organised by our Karen, I think all of us who attended were looking forward to a repeat. Having a party as early as next January seems unlikely, but at some point next year we will I'm sure be able to celebrate in a similar manner.

With things so quiet, I've not got much to report in these news updates, so if any of our members are doing anything interesting with their car, please do send some photos in and I will share them next month. 

Keep safe all.

Two steps forward, one step back!

Published: September 14th, 2020

In terms of our "official" club activities, there has been little to report since my last update at the end of June.  We were all hoping that by now there would be some relaxation in the numbers allowed to meet, but of course, as of today, the "Rule of six" has been firmed up, which means there is still no chance of meeting as a club. There are certain exemptions, but none are applicable to our type of club, not unless we start calling ourselves a "support group"!

A few events have taken place over the last few weeks, but as yet I do not know how the recent change in rules will impact on the shows that had still planned to go ahead this year. I suspect it will mean more cancellations, so do make sure you continue to check the situation with organisers. It is a depressing state of affairs, but we just have to hang in and hope for a return to something close to normality next year.

Despite everything, our members have been taking the opportunities that present themselves to get out in their cars. Some have done runs, with three or four other cars. These have been good fun and providing numbers are kept low, I cannot see any reason not to continue doing them. A few White Horse members also showed up at the Shalbourne show, which took place in August. We did not organise a club pitch at the event, but by a stroke of good fortune several club members ended up parked together. It was great to be doing what we all love again. For a show limited to just 150 vehicles, there were many marvellous cars on display, including an ultra rare Ford GT40 Spyder (one of only 5). Our thanks to the organisers for putting on a great event.

Following on from Shalbourne, some of our members displayed their cars at the Browns Classics breakfast meet which took place on September 5th.  Our thanks to the organisers for a great show and for supporting Thames Valley Air Ambulance with ticket and food sales. £823.90 raised. Excellent.

Of course, our members' cars stole the show as always, but there were a couple of others that took my eye.

One final thing, the committee would like to thank the members for their continued support through these difficult times. When the situation improves, we will do all that we can as a club to get out and have a fantastic time with our cars. We will get there.

Light at the end of the tunnel?

Published: June 30th, 2020

I've been remiss over the last month or so in not keeping our news page updated, so firstly my apologies. Where the time has gone I do not know; it has certainly not been taken up with much enjoyment. I'm sure that, like me, you are all continuing to struggle with the restrictions of lockdown, but as far as I hear, all our members remain in good health. With the lifting of some restrictions this coming weekend, there might just be some light at the end of the tunnel. 

And so here we are at the end of June, halfway through the year, without a car show under our belts. Despite this, the WHCVE committee has tried to keep busy behind the scenes, planning for happier times. Early in April, we conducted our first AGM. Due to the restrictions on meeting, we had to do this online, asking members to vote by email. It wasn't ideal, as our preference is for a physical meeting and a vote by a show of hands, but as there were no changes to the club's constitution/rules put forward and no proposed changes to the committee, it was deemed acceptable to do this online. We thank the members for their support in this. Nearly all members cast a vote and those that did voted unanimously in favour of approving the accounts and re-electing the committee.  That means another year of Chris, Darren, Jason, Kate, Pat, and Tony!

Later in the month, we held a club quiz, which we conducted on Facebook, in honour of member Garry's 60th birthday. It was a quiz with a slight difference, in that it was all about the members themselves. I think everyone that took part was amused by it and we hope that it lightened the mood for a few hours. We were also considering a Zoom video meeting. This is something we could still do, if members would like, especially if restrictions continue to limit the scope for meets.  Use of this sort of technology, along with social media platforms, does help us keep in touch and hopefully provide some support for each other. 

Not only has the committee been busy, club members having been making use of the time to have work done on their cars. We have an E-Type undergoing a respray, a Daimler in final preparation before delivery to its new owner, a Triumph TR6 with freshly upholstered seats, a Cortina with a new exhaust system, and so on. If you'd like to send photos of work you are having done on your car for publication on this page, we would welcome them. Please send to info@whitehorse-cve.com  

Covid-19 Restrictions after July 4th

We were hoping that after July 4th, the restriction on number of people that can meet would be lifted, but that does not appear to be the case. According to the government guidelines on this page 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-people-from-outside-your-household-from-4-july

the suggestion is that only up to six people from different households can meet after July 4th. However, also on that page, there are several paragraphs that might mean we can meet in a larger group of up to 30. At the moment, we are seeking clarification on that from several sources. As soon as we hear, members will be notified by email. 

If it is confirmed that we can have a club meeting of up to 30 people, then that gives us a lot of scope. Otherwise, we would have to have a series of small meetings with no more than 6 people taking part in each. At least we have a few outdoor venues lined up for a picnic now (all with toilets), so we just need to be sure about what we can do. 

Club subscription renewal

Thank you to all who have renewed their subscription. We are aware that the club is not offering as much as it would normally do, due to the virus, but we will be ready to spring into action as soon as we can. Officially, subscriptions expire on July 1st each year, so if anyone else wishes to renew, please let me know as soon as possible.

Club regalia 

Jason has been busy establishing a new line of club regalia, following the feedback we had from members earlier in the year. He  has received samples of some of the items being offered and is satisfied that the quality is good, but we understand that you may wish to view a sample before ordering. To this end, we will try to show samples of some products when we next meet. If you would like any items, please contact the club at info@whitehorse-cve.com  for further information. All items are sold at cost. 

T-Shirt - £9  (Charcoal, Red, Metro Blue, Military Green). 

Baseball Cap - £7 (Light Grey, Classic Red, French Navy Bottle Green).  Note: This Baseball Cap differs from our previous one, in that the logo is embroidered instead of printed. 

Sweatshirt - £14 (Dark Heather, Red, Navy, Bottle Green).

Polo Shirt - £11 (Dark Heather, Red, Navy, Bottle Green). 

Short Sleeve Shirt - £20.00 (Convoy Grey, Classic Red, French Navy, Bottle Green). 

V-Neck Sweater - £25.00  (Charcoal Marl, Cranberry Marl, French Navy). 

Sizes range from Small (S) to 4XL. 

Events

There is little indication of any shows taking place in the next couple of months, especially having seen another in August cancelled today, so it's really a case of waiting to see if that changes. We live in hope! As to our own club meetings, that will really depend on getting clarification regarding how many people can meet at a club event. 

That's all for this roundup. Stay safe all and fingers crossed that we can meet up together soon.  

Looking forward

Published: April 7th, 2020

It's hard to believe that only five weeks ago we were planning our first AGM to take place on 15 April at the usual meeting venue, the Horse & Jockey. How quickly the world has changed! I doubt many of us could have imagined when we first heard about Coronavirus spreading through China how it would fundamentally alter our lives.  It brings it home when I hear of friends struggling with symptoms, although thankfully all on the mend now I understand.  Staying isolated and keeping in good health is a big part of winning the war, but so too is staying positive, which of course is not always easy. I'm sure that many of our members, like me, are already missing shows, meeting with club mates, and just the simple pleasure of driving. All we can do is wait and look forward, in the knowledge that things will improve. One thing that I find helps is social media exchanges with club mates. Our Facebook group gives us the scope for some of the usual club night banter and I'd encourage members to make use of it. If you have not already joined the page, then come on in ...    https://www.facebook.com/groups/1596745700543341/   

As well as Facebook, we might be able to set up club video call meets, if there is interest in us doing so. If you've not used the technology involved in this before, then now is the perfect time to learn. It's not difficult to get the hang of it. And you never know, I might even organise another of my famous and well loved quiz nights. Our member Garry would I'm sure be up for that!

Along with the cancellation of classic vehicle events for the foreseeable future, we have of course cancelled our April monthly meet, and with the agreement of those members that expressed a view, we will be holding our AGM by email. Earlier today, I sent an agenda to all members, which included the club accounts for approval, and a request to elect a committee for the coming year.   Please cast your votes by emailing info@whitehorse-cve.com . All votes received prior to midnight on 15 April will be counted.  If you have not received the agenda, contact me at the club email address and I will send it to you. Alternatively, if you have the top-secret access codes to the Members page of this website, you'll find the details there. 

Please keep in touch with your fellow club members and the committee and do let me know if there is anything the club can do to help in these trying times.  Right then, keep your heads down, your chins up, and keep looking forward to better times. 

Club meet and other events cancelled

Published: March 16th, 2020

Dear friends, 

Firstly, I'd like to thank you for your feedback on whether or not we should cancel our March meeting due to the coronavirus. A few members said they'd come along if the meet went ahead, but the overwhelming majority said they'd rather not. My own view is that it is best to place things on hold until we have a better idea of what we are dealing with and the risks, especially as some members have health issues to contend with. 

We have, therefore, cancelled the March meeting , which was due to take place next Wednesday, March 18th. 

It was just as well that this was our decision, because as of earlier today, the official advice is to avoid public places and meetings. It's nice to know that the White Horse is ahead of the game!

Hopefully, things will improve in the not too distant future and we can get back to enjoying our classics and our club, but the importance of good health, family and friends is paramount. 

We will review the situation before the April meet (which is also the AGM) and keep you all updated by email and on our Facebook page. It might be that we can meet outside for the AGM, or even conduct it online. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, as they say. 

As something to look forward to, there might be scope for us to go for a drive together, where we can limit personal contact. It would certainly be nice to look forward to something. We'll look into this. 

Let's all keep in touch. And fingers crossed that we get back to normality soon.

White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts: AGM 2020

Published: February 28th, 2020

We hereby give notice that the White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts’ 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Wednesday April 15th from 8.30pm at the Horse & Jockey, Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire, SN7 8NN. 

Details will be sent to our members shortly and will also be available on the Members' page of this website. 

Turning of the seasons

Published: February 14th, 2020

It's not particularly warm out and even many of the daffodils are keeping their heads tucked away, no doubt in anticipation of storm Dennis (the menace) which is due to hit the UK over the weekend. And yet, I'm beginning to feel a sense of excitement in the knowledge that spring isn't too far off now. In just a few short weeks show season will kick off again and those of us that enjoy displaying our cars will be out there promoting classic vehicle ownership to the great unwashed. With that in mind, last week we held a committee meeting to narrow down the list of 65+ events we have identified, to just those that we will aim to display at as a club. We reached our decisions based on member feedback and where we felt we could get at least 5 cars to display. I'm hoping that for many of these events we get far more than 5 cars, as I find events particularly enjoyable when we go en masse. You can find the events that we have provisionally selected by following this link ...    https://www.whitehorse-cve.com/events

What we have come up with isn't an exhaustive list of events that members will be at, as I'm sure we'll do others, either individually or as a club, but it's a starting point. In the end, it's down to you the members to tell us which you want to attend and if we can get the numbers we'll do our best to organise a pitch to display on. Please do let us know which of the highlighted events you'll try to make. 

Along with the car shows, we are hoping to line up a couple of special events for members, which we'll provide details of in due course. It's all a bit hush hush at the moment, but when we have chocks away we'll let you know. 

Also discussed at the committee meeting was whether or not to apply for membership of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC). I'm reliably informed that the organisation's title refers to historic vehicle clubs located in the UK, rather than to clubs that just focus on British vehicles. I wanted to check that, as we now have several members with none British made vehicles. Anyhow, we decided that we would apply for membership, partly because we might be able to find less expensive club insurance, and partly because the association might give us an air of respectability, dare I say, even professionalism ... OK, that's going too far. Our application was accepted and we are now listed in the FBHVC club directory, all for £30. Those with eagle eyes will have noted that we are also displaying the FBHVC logo at the top of our web pages (at least you will have if you are viewing on a desktop or laptap computer, rather than a phone or tablet). 

We have now set an AGM date of April 15th. That's a usual club night. We'll send out information in advance, so you can decide if you want the same horrible lot organising on your behalf for another year. 

Don't forget, next club night is this coming Wednesday, February 19th. I'll send out a reminder email a couple of days before and I look forward to seeing you all.     

Banishing the January blues

Published: January 22nd, 2020

With Christmas and New Year celebrations over, January and February can be a miserable time, so anything that'll brighten up these dreary months as we look forward to drives out on warm spring days has to be a bonus. That's one of the reasons that we keep our regular monthly social meets going all year round, and why we like to hold the second of our Christmas parties in January. 

January monthly meet

Our January monthly meet took place on the 15th as planned. Given that there had been a lot of rain in the days before and that there was quite a lot of flooding on the roads near our venue, I thought we might be in for a quiet evening, so it was a nice surprise that fourteen members came along. It was a fun evening, but those regular members that understandably decided against risking it were much missed. It was especially nice to catch up with one of our members who had not been along to a meet in several months. 

The weekend bash!

After several months in the planning, with special thanks to club member Karen, the club's post Christmas celebration weekend finally rolled around. And what a bash it was! 

Many of our members arrived mid-afternoon on the Friday and by all accounts immediately made use of the bar  facilities, so by the time I arrived, there was a bit of catching up to do. I tried my best, of course. It was wonderful to arrive and find everyone enjoying themselves so much. Having a good laugh with good friends is what the club scene is all about for me, as I think it is for all our members. 

Following an excellent meal in the hotel's restaurant, it was back to the bar, where we settled in until gone midnight.   

One downside of winter breaks is that a lot of attractions are closed, so there wasn't a great deal of choice when it came to things to do on the Saturday morning and afternoon. Some members took a look around the nearby historic market town of Banbury, and some paid a visit to a diner set in an old fashioned garage, where small classic car gatherings are often held. 

Later in the afternoon, several members took a walk around the village of Wroxton, taking in its 14th century church and Wroxton Abbey. I would have gone myself, but I felt I ought to keep my fellow committee member Chris company at the bar, and another member, Peter, who also fancied the walk, decided he ought to stay with us at the bar in case we got into any trouble ... a true gent if ever there was one. 

It wasn't too long before those members that were only staying the Saturday night arrived, and we whiled away the afternoon together until it was time to get ready for the evening party.   

By 7.30 pm, we had all gathered in the foyer, where we had a group photo taken before being shown in to the function room.  Following the Christmas dinner and free flowing wine, we held a raffle (thank you to everyone who donated prizes) and a whip round for the staff. I was then forced out onto the dance floor by Chris (yes, him again), where we both performed the dance routine to the club anthem, Ernie: The Fastest Milkman in the West. Video footage exists of this, but I'll not be posting it here. Once that was out of the way, nearly everyone took to the floor to dance the night away until passed midnight. 

Thank you to all that were able to join us for what I hope will be the first of many Christmas weekend parties. Those members who couldn't join us were missed, so we hope to see you for the next one. 

Club member Garry summed it up nicely, when he said "Brilliant weekend, brilliant company".   

A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year: 'Tis the season to be jolly ... not just once, but twice

Published: December 21st, 2019 

To plagiarise the lyrics of a well-known song, "So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over, and a new one just begun." Well, between us, I reckon we've done quite a lot this year, when it comes to our cars and our club. 

Since our beginnings last March, just after we ceased being a local Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire branch of the TR Register, we have built a multi marque club that, I hope you'll all agree, serves and supports its members, brings people together, creates new friendships, and helps promote the joy of owning classic vehicles. Through the year, many of us have covered thousands of miles, getting out to shows and other events to display our cars to the public. I know that a couple of our members have done an amazing 30+ events this year!  Owning, maintaining and driving our vehicles is not an inexpensive business, and displaying them brings certain risks from people with no care for others' property, but we do it for the love of it and in the hope that we might inspire others to become involved. 

As I've said before, it's the members that make a club what it is, and we have the best members in our club, so a big thank you to all of you for making it such a success. And as the club with the best members, it is only fitting that we should have not just one, but two, Christmas time celebrations. 

We started last Wednesday, December 18th, with our pre-Christmas meal and party. Following on from our three courses, we held our usual raffle, with a good range of prizes kindly donated by members. One prize that we all had our eyes on was a large chunk of cave-aged Cheddar cheese. Our committee member Chris was not best pleased when he missed out on that! 

Immediately after the raffle we had a few speeches, and I was honoured to receive a nice bottle of single malt Scotch whisky. I was taken back by that, so thank you again to everyone involved in that surprise. Then it was on to the quiz. With 20 members taking part, we had three teams ... called "The Mazda Owners Club"; "Excalibur"; and "The Red Wine Drinkers". Captains were chosen and the teams got to work on the set of 30 fiendish questions I'd compiled.  Top bonus points were shared between Freya of the Red Wine Drinkers, for her dance routine, and Mike from the Mazda Owners Club (not that any of them actually own a Mazda as far as I know), for his song, "The Bantam Cock".  Mike's rendition was on a par with Toney's "Don't Jump Off the Roof Dad" last year, so if we can get both together next year, it'll be a battle of the crooners. In the end, it was the Mazda Owners Club that took the honours and Jason accepted the trophy on the team's behalf. 

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for the celebration. It was just a shame that 4 members were unable to make it due to illness on the night, and another five couldn't make it due to other reasons. You were all very much missed. 

Now that the pre-Christmas celebration is over, we turn our attention to our weekend party in January, which celebrates the new year and the approaching first anniversary of the club's formation. Everyone has now made their full payment, so we just need your menu choices. Please let me have them as soon as possible, by dropping me an email at: info@whitehorse-cve.com       

On a positive note, this Sunday is the winter solstice, after which the days start getting longer and the march into spring and summer begins. 

It just remains for me to wish you all, on behalf of the committee, Kate, Pat, Chris, Jason, Tony, and myself, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Winter drives, NEC Classic Motor Show, club nights, and Christmas parties

Published: November 23rd, 2019  

As far as classic vehicle shows are concerned, we are now well and truly into the off-season, although there are still a few events to be found. However, most of us, including myself, will have our pride and joy tucked up in a nice, warm garage by now. That said, I try to get my car out for a drive at least every three or four weeks in the winter, providing there's no salt on the roads. Nothing much worse than salt for causing corrosion. For the rest of the time, it's trickle charger on, dehumidifiers set to keep the relative humidity below 55% (providing it's kept below that point, condensation cannot form, regardless of temperature ... I understand), and dust cover over. Winter is also a great time to tackle all those little jobs that have been building up over the summer. I've a few to do, but won't get onto a service until March, in preparation for another great year out and about with the White Horse Classic Vehicle Enthusiasts club.   

Talking of such jobs, don't forget, some of our members have kindly put themselves forward to assist if they can, so if you are struggling with something, help and advice is at hand. Our Jason has a 4ft pipe wrench, and I've got a sledge hammer, so there's not much that cannot be tackled! 

If you've been worried that I've been lazing about, because you've only received a couple of emails from me in the last 6 weeks, rather than the usual weekly barrage through spring and summer,  then it's not true, I've been working hard ... honest! We keep our regular monthly meets going all year round. In the winter, these become an indoor social occasion, rather than a vehicle display, but are still great fun. October saw three new members join us. Welcome to you all.

Often in clubs, numbers attending the regular meets drop in the winter, but we continue to get 20+ joining us, demonstrating the excellent social element we have. It felt like Christmas had come early at our November meet, as many were making merry! 

Several of us travelled up to the NEC for the Classic Motor Show early in November, although not all on the same day. Lots of interesting things to see there, but a long day, and a lot of walking. 

Our next monthly meet, at our regular haunt, on December 18th, is also our Christmas bash. We already have 18 booked in for it, but there's still room for more if you wish to partake of the meal. We require your confirmation and menu choices (see link below) by December 5th. Some members will be joining us after the meal, for the club quiz and prize giving session. Extra points will be awarded for good stories, and well sung songs. 

Mid-January sees the second of our Christmas events, which will also be a celebration of the upcoming first anniversary of the club's formation. For those members who are booked, please remember that the balance of your payment is due no later than December 5th. If you wish to pay by bank transfer, let me know and I will let you have the club's bank details, if you do not already have them. 

As we move into 2020, we'll be asking members which events they would like the club to focus on, so please start thinking about that. Along with the shows, one of our members with a paddock, has offered to host a club BBQ, so that will be something for the summer. We are also thinking if organising either a 4x4 off-roading day or a session on a skid pan. All to be discussed. 

At the moment, I'm looking into setting up a WhatsApp group, so that we can easily organise impromptu drive outs, as suggested by our member, Sinclair. 

That's it for this update. See you in December.         

Photo: Friends gather together for the November club meet. 

RAF Brize Norton Families Day, Winchester Auto Barn, and Horse and Jockey charity event

Published: September 30th, 2019 

Difficult to believe that it's already the end of September, although perhaps not that difficult, given the miserable weather over the last few days and the fact that it's now dark by 8 pm. Where has the summer gone? It does seem to have flown by. We had hoped to round off the show season with a visit to the Shalbourne event last Sunday, but with all the rain, members took the wise decision (in my opinion) to give it a miss and keep their classics tucked up warm and dry. However, all credit to the organisers of the event for running it regardless and I'm pleased to hear that they did get a reasonable turn out of cars. I hope we will all be lucky next year and the weather for the event will be excellent. 

Although we sadly missed out on Shalbourne, members have not been resting in September. On an individual basis, members have been at the Goodwood Revival, Kop Hill, and the Northleach Steam and Vintage show, to name but a few. And as a club, we have flown the flag at a number of events this month.   

RAF Brize Norton Families Day

At the end of August, on the 31st, the club put on a display at the RAF Brize Norton Families day. As we had members away on holidays and some at other events, we only pulled together 5 cars and all Triumph TRs, reflecting our club history. It was a great day out, but would have been better if we had had a greater variety of cars to show. 

There were several aircraft on display and a few of us took the opportunity to have a good look, both inside and out, as can be seen in the film below. Others didn't fancy the queue! I had hoped for an air display, but that didn't happen, perhaps because the weather wasn't the best. 

Despite the blackening sky, committee member Tony assured me that the rain would miss us, so while others prepared by putting their hoods up, I felt confident that there was nothing to worry about. Tony then headed off to look around the inside of another aircraft, and disappeared just as the heavens opened and we were battered by strong gusts of wind. With no time to put my hood up, I reached for my trusty golf umbrella to cover the car's interior. That would have worked, if it hadn't been for the gust of wind that ripped it inside out. Thankfully, a friendly Ferrari owner saw the difficulty and gave me a hand getting the hood in place, which we did just as the down pour ended. Isn't it great owning a classic? Tony reappeared after the downpour, looking nice and dry. 

It was not the largest display of cars, but there were many interesting ones nonetheless. Our thanks to the organisers for putting on the event and making us welcome. I think it's important that we show our support for our forces and their families, by acknowledging all that they do to protect us. 

And a final thanks to committee member Chris, who led us out of the display area and then on a ten minute tour of the base while we looked for an exit!     

Winchester Auto Barn

I'm not really one for early starts, especially on a Saturday, so dragging myself out of bed at 6.15 am for a drive down to the Winchester Auto Barn, for a breakfast meet on September 21st, didn't seem that appealing. However, I'm glad I did, because it was a nice gathering of enthusiasts.  Only four of us braved the early start, but it was still good fun, especially the drive down, led by club member Garry in his beautiful MK2 Ford Cortina 1600E.  And although it was rather chilly, at least for me with hood down, there's something particularly nice about early morning drives. 

 Our thanks to the organisers at the Auto Barn for making us welcome. 

Horse & Jockey charity event

Also on September 21st, in the evening, members gathered at the club's meet pub, the Horse & Jockey in Stanford in the Vale in support of the charity MIND. It was great to see a turn out of seven cars, including our newest member's '65 Ford Mustang. 

In other news ...

A warm welcome to the four new members who joined us in September. Great to have you on board.

We now have 24 club members booked in for our mid-January weekend away to celebrate the new year and the success of the club in its first year. As of today, September 30th, there is still some space available, so if you are interested in hearing more about it and in joining us, please email us as soon as possible ... info@whitehorse-cve.com   

Our new baseball caps, with full logo printed, continue to prove popular, especially at only £10 each. I've only two left at the moment, so please let us know if you'd like one. 

There are a couple of local events taking place in October, which we'll aim to be at as a club if the weather is decent. More details to follow. We are also hoping to organise a Sunday lunch run before the end of October

Things go pretty quiet in November, but a few of us are aiming to attend the Classic Motor Show at the NEC together, November 8-10.   

And of course, our monthly club meets continue throughout the year on the third Wednesday of the month at the Horse & Jockey, Stanford in the Vale ... that's October 16th, November 20th, and December 18th (Christmas meal and quiz).  We look forward to seeing you there. 

Club Cruise, Wanborough Show, Monthly Meet, and Brill Festival 

Published: August 26th, 2019 

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for the club and its members, so much so that I've not found time until now to update the news in almost two weeks! 

Club Cruise

August 15th saw seven members in five cars out for a run around the glorious Oxfordshire and Wiltshire countryside, with its rolling hills and charming villages. Our thanks to  those who were able to come along on the day, especially as it was all thrown together last minute. When I arrived at the meet point it was spitting with rain, but everyone who confirmed that they would come did, so that was great. And not long after midday, the sun came out and it stayed dry for the rest of the day. 

Following a long and lazy lunch at the Freke Arms, we set off just after 2pm, following Jason and his SatNav. Both did a great job of finding a scenic route for us to enjoy. 

We are planning on fitting in a couple more of these in the next few weeks, so look out for details.  There's also a club BBQ and possibly an "Apple Run" and Club picnic in the pipeline. We'll try to pack in as much as possible while the weather remains good. 

Wanborough Village and Country Show 

Following on just two days after our Club Cruise, some of us were on the road again, this time for the Wanborough Village and Country Show. As classic car shows go, it wasn't large (I counted about 60 classic cars and several motorcycles), but its wider attractions made for a quintessentially English village show .... "a proper old country show", as Chris D said. And it was absolutely charming. 

Most of the classics were parked in a small, sheltered, church meadow, with the rest of the events taking place to the side of it in a much larger area. 

There was a beer and cider tent, stalls, dog show, flower and produce show, other attractions, and the highlight of the event, the Horsemen of the Knight ... a team of professional stunt riders. 

It was a shame that this year, many of our members had other commitments on the day, so we only pulled together three cars. That's the trouble with August, it's not only packed with shows, but many members are also away on holidays. When I originally suggested the show as one for the club to attend, several months back, I didn't get any takers, so I thought we might have to miss it, but thankfully we got some last minute interest. That leads me to saying a big thank you to the organisers for being flexible and welcoming our small display of cars at the last minute. Space for cars at the show is limited, so there's a bit of juggling required to organise it. 

We'll put this show on our list for next year again and hopefully pull a few more members together for it. It's a great one for the family. 

August Club Night Meet

Our third Wednesday of the month Club Night meet saw eleven cars join us. We also welcomed onboard four new joiners, who we look forward to enjoying future shows and meets with. 

There was a short discussion of club business, our club raffle (one member was very pleased to take home a bottle of Old Spice), and the usual look around the cars ... but mostly it was, as always, a social meeting of friends. I do not believe any club has a better atmosphere than what we have now! 

Thank you to Karen for the photo below.

Brill Festival and Classic Car Show

Yesterday's show (August 25th) at Brill brings us almost up to date. It was a cracking day, but as much as I like the sun, at 32C it was too hot for me. It was rough on the cars too. There were numerous breakdowns, mostly due to overheating I imagine. 

Nevertheless, as always, Brill served up a great variety of classic vehicles on display, almost 300 by my rough estimate, so there was plenty of interest. 

It was, however, the drive out that I really enjoyed. Nothing better to be in convoy with a bunch of friends in a fantastic collection of cars. Thanks to everyone who joined us for the show. Six cars on our pitch, and another member who arrived a bit later parked further along. 

Thanks to Freya for the wonderful photo below ... the classic "in the mirror shot". 

In other news ...

We now have 20 club members booked in for our mid-January weekend away to celebrate the new year and the success of the club in its first year. As of today, August 26th, there is still some space available, so if you are interested in hearing more about it and in joining us, please email us as soon as possible ... info@whitehorse-cve.com   

Our new baseball caps, with full logo printed, are proving popular, especially at only £10 each. Let us know if you'd like one. We hope to be able to supply club jackets and t-shirts very soon. 

Although we are nearing the end of August, there are still events on. We do not have an official pitch at today's show in Uffington, but some of our members are attending. Next week is the RAF Brize Norton Families Day, which we do have a pitch at, for six of our cars. Booking is now closed for this event. 

And that's almost it for this update. It only leaves me to say that the relentless march of time will soon deliver us into autumn and in just five or six weeks we will once again be at the end of the showing season, so I urge everyone to get out there and enjoy their cars, before frosty mornings and salted roads. 

West Berks Classic Vehicle Club - Bloodwise show, Newbury

Published: August 14th, 2019 

Last Sunday saw eight cars on the WHCVE pitch, putting on a fine display for the Bloodwise classic vehicle event, organised by the West Berks Classic Vehicle Club and held at Newbury racecourse. Our thanks to the organisers for all their hard work in staging this excellent show of more than a thousand vehicles, which included traction engines, as well as classic cars and motorcycles. Bloodwise is a blood cancer research charity.

Our display pulled in many visitors, helped no doubt by the eclectic mix of cars on show. And even before the day was over, we were receiving emails requesting details of the club. Thank you to all our members who were able to join us on the day. And a special thank you to Karen for another smashing sponge cake.

Only downside to the day was the heavy downpour of rain we experienced on the way home along the A34. A couple of us had our hoods down, so we got a bit wet. Although, it wasn't too bad, as we were able to keep at 70 mph, and that meant most of the rain didn't get into the cockpit. Thankfully, it was all over in about 10 minutes. 

We will return again next year in support of this event, when I suspect we'll have even more members joining us. I look forward to that. In the meantime, below you'll find a short film of just some of the wonderful vehicles seen this year. 

In other news ... 

As promised, we have organised a pub lunch and run for this coming Thursday, August 15th. Well, I say "organised", but it's going to be a bit impromptu. It could well end up as a mystery tour! We'll be mailing out details shortly. 

We've now found a supplier of baseball caps that we are happy with, so samples will be on display at the next regular club meet night, August 21st. 

It might seem a bit early to be thinking about this, but as I awoke this morning there was a bit of a chill in the air that made my thoughts turn to winter, and of course to Christmas. As some of our members will know, we typically have a Christmas meal and a quiz at our usual meet night in December. We'll be doing that again this year, but we are also planning a New Year club weekend away in mid-January. Members will have the option of a one or two night stay, with a three course meal on the Saturday night and a disco (where I'll once again be showing off my latest dance moves). Full details will follow soon. 

For now, we still have a bit of the summer left, and hopefully some nice early autumn days to enjoy, so let's make the most of it and have fun with our classics. 

Finally, welcome to the new members joining us this week. 

MG and Classic Car Show - Organised by the MGB Register Club

Published: August 5th, 2019 

August, it seems to me, is the busiest month on the classic vehicle show calendar, at least it is in the area we cover. Each week through the month, we will be attending shows and displaying our vehicles as a club.  Next Sunday, for instance, August 11th, we'll be at the West Berks Classic Car show in Newbury. As soon as one show ends, we are gearing up for another. 

Last Sunday, we displayed at the MG and Classic Car Show, held at the Millets Farm Centre in Oxfordshire on August 4th, and organised by the MGB Register car club. 

In the run up to the event, I wondered if we might be a bit thin on the ground in terms of numbers, but there was nothing to worry about. Warm, dry weather always helps, of course. Our display consisted of 5 Triumph TRs, a Wolseley, and a Triumph Stag. These numbers would have been further bolstered, if it had not been for the breakdown of two TR6s that were intending to join us. Who would own a TR!

Overall, the event attracted 142 classic cars. Understandably, given that the event was organised by the MGB Register, most were MGs, but there were many other wonderful cars also on show. Our thanks to the organisers for their hard work. 

Our membership is growing at a nice steady rate, and we were pleased by the the requests for information we received at the show and afterwards by email. I'm sure we will be welcoming new friends very soon. 

In other news ... 

Vice chair, Chris, and I spent last week doing some research into venues for a second monthly meet, which we aim to establish in the next few weeks. This research inevitably involved some sampling of ale and food, but rest assured, our treasurer Kate wouldn't allow it on expenses. After some searching, we have found a venue that has a paddock, that we can have private use of. There is room for about 80 cars, so we might introduce an invitation meet in the summer months, depending on levels of interest. We are also planning a run in the next few weeks, of around 80 miles. Details will be announced shortly. 

As always, thanks to our members for your support and for making a great club.