Craig Cheetham on festive fundraising efforts
There’s a good chance you’re reading this issue of PC during the festive season and, while the temptation may be to snuggle down in front of the fire with a mince pie and a glass of eggnog, there’s also plenty to be getting on with where your classics are concerned. As the year draws to a close there’s the ‘Almost New Year’ classic car meet at the Great British Car Journey for example, or the annual New Year’s Gathering at Brooklands – both well worth a visit if they’re in striking distance of home.
But on a smaller scale, there are also loads of more local events, many of which will be raising funds for good causes. I’ll be spending New Year’s Day this year in Stony Stratford for the annual Vintage Stony event, which is a fabulous spectacle if you’re not a million miles away. The centre of the village is taken over by veteran and vintage cars from pre-1940, marking a truly bygone age, but there are classics of all ages in abundance as fans of retro machinery gather together to appreciate the golden years and see in the New Year.
Even more important, though, is that Vintage Stony raises funds for Willen Hospice, which provides palliative care and support to families across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Northants and Buckinghamshire. It costs 4.7 million a year to run the hospice, and the January 2023 gathering put an almost £14,250 sized dent in that – small fry on a wholesale level, but every single penny makes a difference. It’s also a fabulous spectacle. Indeed, if you wish to turn up in a classic but not vintage car you can pay £5 and park on the periphery of the market square for a ringside seat. I’m not sure what I’ll be going there in this year, but I know I’ll be chucking a fiver in the bucket so I can enjoy a hot chocolate from the comfort of my own car for when the veterans arrive. I’m rather looking forward to it.
If you, your car club or your friends have got anything planned to raise money for charity, we absolutely want to hear about it and talk about it in these pages. Please drop us a line at practicalclassics@bauermedia.co.uk and we’ll help you in any way we can.
FOCUSING ON...
Drive ‘n’ Dine 4 Cancer
Cambridgeshire -based Drive ‘n’ Dine 4 Cancer was set up by Siobhan Devine in 2021, after her dad Paul was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Siobhan’s wish all along has been to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support.
The first outing saw Siobhan get her friends and family to meet in a car park, drive to the beach, get some fish and chips and drive home, encouraging people to donate money into a bucket in return for a car sticker.
The following year, she wanted to go bigger and approached her friend Mike Dunstan, who agreed to help her make it into something that could raise a lot mo
