News From The Birmingham Group
A few weeks ago we attended the Swan at Chaddesley Corbet. Roy who is one of our group members organized a charity
classic car show behind his old pub. Over eighty five cars were in attendance from pre war to modern day classics. The afternoon was overcast but the rain was held at bay, and we enjoyed a great afternoon. Eric Winters was presented
with a Second place and Jonathans Riley which received a third for best cars in show, The winners were chosen by the Gadget
shows John Bentley , who is also a classic car enthusiast , owning a 1972 VW Beetle , which he has owned from new. John also explained that the Swan was where he first introduced Jeremy Clarkson to Top Gear and assisted him with his first script, over a pint. The group displayed over 10 cars including Jonathan’s Riley and Marks Lancia.
Hopefully Roy will be putting on another show next year
classic car show behind his old pub. Over eighty five cars were in attendance from pre war to modern day classics. The afternoon was overcast but the rain was held at bay, and we enjoyed a great afternoon. Eric Winters was presented
with a Second place and Jonathans Riley which received a third for best cars in show, The winners were chosen by the Gadget
shows John Bentley , who is also a classic car enthusiast , owning a 1972 VW Beetle , which he has owned from new. John also explained that the Swan was where he first introduced Jeremy Clarkson to Top Gear and assisted him with his first script, over a pint. The group displayed over 10 cars including Jonathan’s Riley and Marks Lancia.
Hopefully Roy will be putting on another show next year
Bought to you from your roving reporter for the south of Birmingham area !.
On the 12th of July a detachment of Birmingham TR register featuring the 3 TR6s of Barry Lucas, Clive Nation and I landed at
Drakes Broughton fete and Classic Gathering. We were regally led into port by Jonathan and Jo Parkes in their gorgeous 1936 Riley. We joined a fine and large selection of TRs from Cotswold Vale. There also many beautifully presented examples of other marques, many with a very interesting history !, well we are in land of the moneyed Cotswolds don't you know !. So yet again another warm lovely sunny day so typical (?) of British Summer time was enjoyed looking at lovely old cars, indulging in ice cream and very special cakes. And we were graced by the company of Brian Sparrowhawk & Lisa Thomas from the office, many Cotswoldians, Merv & Kat as well as TS2 and the Coke TR7. Did I mention joy of driving to and from Drakes Broughton in the sun in convoy of Riley and two other TR6s ?????. Whats not to like.
Last evening Barry and I took my TR6 to the Classic car gathering at the Old Wagon and Horses between Kidderminster and Stourbridge. We enjoyed the sight and sound of Davids and Andrews beautiful Lotus Elan on this short run. If Saturday was
sublime last night gathering was er a different type of classic car fraternity. Any pub promoting gatherings for classics should be supported and I do support this event but you need to be aware of a few things. It’s held in a field above the pub and the ground is not flat, the unwary can be caught out by unexpected holes that can catch size 7 feet and lead to unexpected contortions
of the ankles and knees. Access is via a quiet steep soil run more suited to car booters that use site on Sundays rather than low slung TR6s. Andrew sensibly kept the Elan on the tarmacked car park by the pub. Anyway we had interesting night learning about the trials and tribulations as well as care and love lavished on the vehicles gathered there. I understand they have one or two week night gatherings and Sunday lunch meetings so pop along if you get the chance, but wear flat shoes !
Mark
On the 12th of July a detachment of Birmingham TR register featuring the 3 TR6s of Barry Lucas, Clive Nation and I landed at
Drakes Broughton fete and Classic Gathering. We were regally led into port by Jonathan and Jo Parkes in their gorgeous 1936 Riley. We joined a fine and large selection of TRs from Cotswold Vale. There also many beautifully presented examples of other marques, many with a very interesting history !, well we are in land of the moneyed Cotswolds don't you know !. So yet again another warm lovely sunny day so typical (?) of British Summer time was enjoyed looking at lovely old cars, indulging in ice cream and very special cakes. And we were graced by the company of Brian Sparrowhawk & Lisa Thomas from the office, many Cotswoldians, Merv & Kat as well as TS2 and the Coke TR7. Did I mention joy of driving to and from Drakes Broughton in the sun in convoy of Riley and two other TR6s ?????. Whats not to like.
Last evening Barry and I took my TR6 to the Classic car gathering at the Old Wagon and Horses between Kidderminster and Stourbridge. We enjoyed the sight and sound of Davids and Andrews beautiful Lotus Elan on this short run. If Saturday was
sublime last night gathering was er a different type of classic car fraternity. Any pub promoting gatherings for classics should be supported and I do support this event but you need to be aware of a few things. It’s held in a field above the pub and the ground is not flat, the unwary can be caught out by unexpected holes that can catch size 7 feet and lead to unexpected contortions
of the ankles and knees. Access is via a quiet steep soil run more suited to car booters that use site on Sundays rather than low slung TR6s. Andrew sensibly kept the Elan on the tarmacked car park by the pub. Anyway we had interesting night learning about the trials and tribulations as well as care and love lavished on the vehicles gathered there. I understand they have one or two week night gatherings and Sunday lunch meetings so pop along if you get the chance, but wear flat shoes !
Mark
So Sunday 22nd June 2014 saw a glorious sun drenched plethora of TRs from Birmingham, Stoke and Shropshire TRs attend the RAF Museum at Cosford between Telford and Wolverhampton.
The assembled fun seekers enjoyed glorious sunny drives and a very pleasant few hours soaking up history of UK and foreign air forces.
I hope you all enjoyed as much as I did. Thanks are due to Eric Winters of Birmingham Group and to Simons Beresford of many groups for offering the opportunity to get the cars together at Cosford
Mark Owen
Birmingham Group
Concours d Elegance
2014
Whatever date we pick for this event, it always seems to start wet. This event was rescheduled from last month due to
the torrential rain we experienced on the day. So hopefully the new date later in the summer would prove to be a better choice. On the morning it was wet but soon dried up and the day brightened up, we were presented with a great afternoon. With a collection of TR’s and an Italia, we were also joined by the Stag owners, West Midlands Classic car club and the West Midlands Porsche club.
It was nice to see a range of classic cars on display from 1950’s vehicles up to modern-day classics. The Somers club provided an excellent BBq and a fantastic range of beverages for us to enjoy. I must thank the club for their patience as due to the cancelation of last month’s event, we worked together to freeze bbq food and reschedule. I must also thank our trophy sponsors for their
support and not forgetting Pam and Lynne for selling the raffle tickets Merv is going to submit a full report and set
of results will be published in the TR Action. So it leaves me to say thank you once again for your support with this event and see you next year
Nearly two years ago, the Birmingham group decided to support a local charity. As with all Charities, Which one do we pick? I posed the question to the group at one of our monthly meetings and we deliberated over many charities. A suggestion from the floor resulted in us choosing the Mary Stevens Hospice.
Mary Stevens Hospice offers specialist care for people living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses, as well as dedicated support for their families and carers.
These services are provided free of charge to those who need them throughout Dudley borough, as well as parts of South Staffordshire, Wyre Forest, Sandwell, and Hereford and Worcester.
The decision was made to support the hospice as they looked after one of our members and his family in the last few weeks of his Life.
As a group we donated our raffle money from our concours event in 2013 and the members showed their vehicles at the summer fete. As a car club, unless we go out to solely raise money this was one way we can show support buy giving up our time and giving others a chance to look at our cars, reminisce and also gather interest in the register.
I the October 2013, I attended a club auction for another Classic car group I am a member of, which raised a few coppers for
its funds. This small auction was based on a fun aspect. As members, we are invited to bring along decent lots for auction and hopefully leave with another. Although done in a light hearted manor, this does increase the coffers in club funds. This gave me the idea of holding our own social and auction evening for the Birmingham group and friends, to raise a few pounds for the Hospice. Throughout the end of 2013 and the New Year, I was busy sending letters, contacting companies and collecting items for the auction I was overwhelmed with the response. Not only from the classic car world, but from local companies who felt they could contribute.
We were lucky enough to have donated,signed a large Sir Stirling Moss print, chocolate and cosmetics Hampers, subscriptions to magazines, wine tasting trips and much, much more. I also approached the Somers sports and social club, where the group meetings are held, who donated the room free of charge and the date was set.
The day of the auction soon approached, much to the delight of Tracey, who by now was getting tired moving various donations
around our house. We set the stage and waited for the invited guests to arrive. At one stage I thought I was going to cancel the evening as the turnout was a little below par, but never the less we went ahead. With just over forty people in attendance, , I felt disappointed as we would not be raising as much as I anticipated, but the bidders dug deep and a great evening was had by all. Bidding on some lots was very fierce and the auction raised just over £1000.Another idea was put to our very own Nigel Cluley on the podium. I approached Mr. C to see if he was prepared to have his world famous mustache removed for the charity. As most of you who know Nigel, his mustache has been part of his dapper appearance for many years, and my initial thought were that he would
back down. Being the sporting chap he is and to my delight he agreed, and a beer tankard was passed around the
tables and another £100 was added to the grand total. With thanks to Cat, the tache was extracted from Nigel baby soft skin and was last seen scampering away towards Kidderminster.
A big thank you goes out to all who donated lots, The Summers Club for the use of the room, the guys who helped Tracey and I
run the evening and most of all, the guys who very generously donated to the charity auction , going home with cars full of interesting lots and enjoying an evening of fun with the Birmingham group.
A few weeks later, a few of the group made a trip to the hospice, where we handed over a cheque to Vanessa and Vicky from the
Hospice fundraising department. Once again, a big thank you goes out to all who helped and contributed to this event, helping raise the profile of not only the hospice but the Birmingham group and the TR Register.
Mary Stevens Hospice offers specialist care for people living with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses, as well as dedicated support for their families and carers.
These services are provided free of charge to those who need them throughout Dudley borough, as well as parts of South Staffordshire, Wyre Forest, Sandwell, and Hereford and Worcester.
The decision was made to support the hospice as they looked after one of our members and his family in the last few weeks of his Life.
As a group we donated our raffle money from our concours event in 2013 and the members showed their vehicles at the summer fete. As a car club, unless we go out to solely raise money this was one way we can show support buy giving up our time and giving others a chance to look at our cars, reminisce and also gather interest in the register.
I the October 2013, I attended a club auction for another Classic car group I am a member of, which raised a few coppers for
its funds. This small auction was based on a fun aspect. As members, we are invited to bring along decent lots for auction and hopefully leave with another. Although done in a light hearted manor, this does increase the coffers in club funds. This gave me the idea of holding our own social and auction evening for the Birmingham group and friends, to raise a few pounds for the Hospice. Throughout the end of 2013 and the New Year, I was busy sending letters, contacting companies and collecting items for the auction I was overwhelmed with the response. Not only from the classic car world, but from local companies who felt they could contribute.
We were lucky enough to have donated,signed a large Sir Stirling Moss print, chocolate and cosmetics Hampers, subscriptions to magazines, wine tasting trips and much, much more. I also approached the Somers sports and social club, where the group meetings are held, who donated the room free of charge and the date was set.
The day of the auction soon approached, much to the delight of Tracey, who by now was getting tired moving various donations
around our house. We set the stage and waited for the invited guests to arrive. At one stage I thought I was going to cancel the evening as the turnout was a little below par, but never the less we went ahead. With just over forty people in attendance, , I felt disappointed as we would not be raising as much as I anticipated, but the bidders dug deep and a great evening was had by all. Bidding on some lots was very fierce and the auction raised just over £1000.Another idea was put to our very own Nigel Cluley on the podium. I approached Mr. C to see if he was prepared to have his world famous mustache removed for the charity. As most of you who know Nigel, his mustache has been part of his dapper appearance for many years, and my initial thought were that he would
back down. Being the sporting chap he is and to my delight he agreed, and a beer tankard was passed around the
tables and another £100 was added to the grand total. With thanks to Cat, the tache was extracted from Nigel baby soft skin and was last seen scampering away towards Kidderminster.
A big thank you goes out to all who donated lots, The Summers Club for the use of the room, the guys who helped Tracey and I
run the evening and most of all, the guys who very generously donated to the charity auction , going home with cars full of interesting lots and enjoying an evening of fun with the Birmingham group.
A few weeks later, a few of the group made a trip to the hospice, where we handed over a cheque to Vanessa and Vicky from the
Hospice fundraising department. Once again, a big thank you goes out to all who helped and contributed to this event, helping raise the profile of not only the hospice but the Birmingham group and the TR Register.
We started March with a Talk from Ian Cornish about the works TR4 rally cars. 74 people were in attendance which proved to be a very successful evening. This was a joint meeting with the Cotswold vale Group and we welcomed members from the Staffs & Warwick Group and the Morgan Three wheeler club. I must thank Ian and Maddy for coming and also Ian Brown for initially getting the ball
rolling and helping set up alongside Andrew Racey.
We also invited some dignitaries from the Triumph world. Ray Bates joined us. Ray was on production at Triumph and looked after
Sports car and new car projects at Triumph. We were also delighted to have Stuart Turner join us. Stuart has a lifelong interest in motor sport; he was the editor of Motoring news, Competition manager for BMC, Competition manager at Ford motor company and later became the director of European motor sport at ford. Following Ian's talk, Stuart gave us an insight to competition and gave
some anecdotes regarding his involvement through the years. We were also privileged to see the tulip trophy he was awarded for his class win in the 1958 Tulip rally. Stuart was also very keen to keep in touch with the group as he is passionate about classic car clubs and build relationships with other groups.
Charity auction in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice.
A Big thank you to Steve& Pam, Mark, Dave , Carl Deana & Millie and of course Tracey, who helped set up and run the evening with me. We had a great evening with our charity auction, All though I felt a little let down with the turn out, we took the executive decision and started the auction.
Considering the numbers were low, we had a fantastic evening and many bargains were purchased. We had nearly 60 quality lots to get through and may I say, we had a lot of fun doing it. With signed Sir Stirling Moss Prints, Magazine subscriptions, wine, chocolate hampers and much more, my Gavel hand was starting to get sore by the end of the evening. We also managed to raise an extra few pounds with lot #710. This lot managed to accumulate over £100 on its own, well nobody was bidding, we just took a pot around and asked for donations. It was Cat, who received the ultimate prize.
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in nearly twenty years, Mr Cluley's famous tache was disconnected from his mischievous face. However it did give a little resistance, but with a little help from Black and Decker, it was soon removed, and was later seen scurrying along the A456 towards Kidderminster.
We raised over £1000 on the evening and I would personally like to thank all who attended and generously bid for our lots. We have some very kind and generous people in the register. Thank you.
rolling and helping set up alongside Andrew Racey.
We also invited some dignitaries from the Triumph world. Ray Bates joined us. Ray was on production at Triumph and looked after
Sports car and new car projects at Triumph. We were also delighted to have Stuart Turner join us. Stuart has a lifelong interest in motor sport; he was the editor of Motoring news, Competition manager for BMC, Competition manager at Ford motor company and later became the director of European motor sport at ford. Following Ian's talk, Stuart gave us an insight to competition and gave
some anecdotes regarding his involvement through the years. We were also privileged to see the tulip trophy he was awarded for his class win in the 1958 Tulip rally. Stuart was also very keen to keep in touch with the group as he is passionate about classic car clubs and build relationships with other groups.
Charity auction in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice.
A Big thank you to Steve& Pam, Mark, Dave , Carl Deana & Millie and of course Tracey, who helped set up and run the evening with me. We had a great evening with our charity auction, All though I felt a little let down with the turn out, we took the executive decision and started the auction.
Considering the numbers were low, we had a fantastic evening and many bargains were purchased. We had nearly 60 quality lots to get through and may I say, we had a lot of fun doing it. With signed Sir Stirling Moss Prints, Magazine subscriptions, wine, chocolate hampers and much more, my Gavel hand was starting to get sore by the end of the evening. We also managed to raise an extra few pounds with lot #710. This lot managed to accumulate over £100 on its own, well nobody was bidding, we just took a pot around and asked for donations. It was Cat, who received the ultimate prize.
Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in nearly twenty years, Mr Cluley's famous tache was disconnected from his mischievous face. However it did give a little resistance, but with a little help from Black and Decker, it was soon removed, and was later seen scurrying along the A456 towards Kidderminster.
We raised over £1000 on the evening and I would personally like to thank all who attended and generously bid for our lots. We have some very kind and generous people in the register. Thank you.
December 15th. Our December meeting was our Annual Christmas quiz. May I take this opportunity to thank you all for supporting the evening. I believe I am not out of turn by saying, it was one of the most enjoyable evenings we have had for a long time. With just over 90 people in attendance, the quiz went down well. We were joined by Cotswold Vale Group, South Birmingham Stag owners, and the TSSC who walked away winning the quiz, Making a really pleasant evening. The meeting was also a very special occasion for our Ex Group leader Barry Goswell. As you may or may not be aware, Barry is not to clever these days, but still retains his off the
wall sense of humour. We invited both Barry and Dorothy along to the quiz for two reasons, Firstly to get Barry back in the fold and join our social scene and secondly to present him officially with an Honorary membership to the TR Register. I mentioned in the previous letter, how Barry had committed a tremendous amount of time to the club, with organising Malvern shows, Charity events and keeping the group going over many years. He has also been an inspiration to me as a somewhat young group leader. Oh, just changing the subject, did I mention we won the skittles trophy?
The results of the quiz are as follows
1st No “F”in Chance 58 points
2nd Dodgy Mince Pies 52 Points
3rd Car-Humbug 51 Points
4th Mucky Mechanics 46 Points
5th TR Trash 45 Points
6th TRing Tonight 44 Points
7th The Stags 41 Points
8th Apple knockers 40 Points
9th Saga Louts 39 Points
10th Netherton Nutters 36 Points
wall sense of humour. We invited both Barry and Dorothy along to the quiz for two reasons, Firstly to get Barry back in the fold and join our social scene and secondly to present him officially with an Honorary membership to the TR Register. I mentioned in the previous letter, how Barry had committed a tremendous amount of time to the club, with organising Malvern shows, Charity events and keeping the group going over many years. He has also been an inspiration to me as a somewhat young group leader. Oh, just changing the subject, did I mention we won the skittles trophy?
The results of the quiz are as follows
1st No “F”in Chance 58 points
2nd Dodgy Mince Pies 52 Points
3rd Car-Humbug 51 Points
4th Mucky Mechanics 46 Points
5th TR Trash 45 Points
6th TRing Tonight 44 Points
7th The Stags 41 Points
8th Apple knockers 40 Points
9th Saga Louts 39 Points
10th Netherton Nutters 36 Points
Christmas Quiz. Tuesday 10th December
Once again we come around to our famous Christmas quiz. We have managed to get Dave to dig deep and will be providing some festive treats for our evening of brain teasing question. This year’s quiz will be a mixture of all sorts;
If you are coming and donating a raffle prize, please wrap it up as it adds to the entertainment
We look forward to seeing you there.
Once again we come around to our famous Christmas quiz. We have managed to get Dave to dig deep and will be providing some festive treats for our evening of brain teasing question. This year’s quiz will be a mixture of all sorts;
If you are coming and donating a raffle prize, please wrap it up as it adds to the entertainment
We look forward to seeing you there.
4th November 2014
I am now very pleased and privileged to inform you, that I on behalf of the TR Register I presented an Honorary membership to Mr Barry Goswell.
Over many years, Barry and his wife Dorothy have devoted countless hours of time , effort and hard work into the register and the Birmingham Group.
Barry is a very charismatic person who has a incredible sense of humour. He is also a man who welcomes everybody he meets with open arms. Personally he has been a inspiration to me to carry on his hard work.
Barry From the Birmingham group. Congratulations You deserve it
I am now very pleased and privileged to inform you, that I on behalf of the TR Register I presented an Honorary membership to Mr Barry Goswell.
Over many years, Barry and his wife Dorothy have devoted countless hours of time , effort and hard work into the register and the Birmingham Group.
Barry is a very charismatic person who has a incredible sense of humour. He is also a man who welcomes everybody he meets with open arms. Personally he has been a inspiration to me to carry on his hard work.
Barry From the Birmingham group. Congratulations You deserve it
3rd November 2013
So that's the AGM over for another year, The good news is that our magnificent
treasurer has managed to keep the subs down for yet another year, But even
better has also been awarded the Clubman's award for the hard work he has put
into the register . Well-done, Merv from all of us at the Birmingham Group.
One of his highlights of the year is awarding the wooden Spoon at the Birmingham Concours.
Brian, The General Manager receiving this year’s award
So that's the AGM over for another year, The good news is that our magnificent
treasurer has managed to keep the subs down for yet another year, But even
better has also been awarded the Clubman's award for the hard work he has put
into the register . Well-done, Merv from all of us at the Birmingham Group.
One of his highlights of the year is awarding the wooden Spoon at the Birmingham Concours.
Brian, The General Manager receiving this year’s award
