FOCUSING ON...
Classic car charity in crisis needs our help
CHARITY HEROES SUPPORTED BY
Charity HEROES
Recently, I was one of the lucky 2000 or so people who were able to attend Rustival – a new concept in classic car shows that brings together enthusiasts from all walks of life, with a hugely eclectic taste in cars.
It was (and remains) an innovative concept that a lot of other shows would do well to learn from. The event, at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, featured cars spanning more than eight decades of motoring history.
Not only was it a fabulous social event, it was great to see the kindness of classic car enthusiasts in action. With former stars of these pages including Darren Walster and his Citroën C5 raising funds for Cancer Research, Ollie Maddock and Jess Clay rattling the cash tin for Amnesty International and Czech on a Trek buddies Connor Heath and Dan Beaney doing the same for Alzheimer’s Research UK, there was a lot of charity goodwill on display alongside an amazing selection of cars.
Connor and Dan came up with a great idea of their own too. Supported by automotive artist Ian Cook of PopBang Colour (if you’ve not heard of him, I encourage you to look him up), they sold space on their Skoda Favorit charity car to showgoers in exchange for the opportunity to leave a personal message written on its bodywork. I understand they raised an extra £300, all of which will go towards supporting the amazing work of Alzheimer’s UK. Well done, lads – I hope you’re really proud of your achievements.
That’s the wonderful thing about our hobby. It brings enthusiasts together from all different backgrounds to appreciate not only a shared love of cars, but also the camaraderie that encourages people to dig deep and support causes that truly matter.
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.
Since we last featured the North East Restoration Club in PC in 2023, the club has hit times of crisis. It’s been found that their base, a building in a former brickworks in Washington, Tyne and Wear, is contaminated by asbestos. The repair bill could top £250,000 – a crippling amount, which may very well spell the end for the club.
The club, which is run by volunteers and has more than 300 members, restores classic cars and is believed to be the only one of its kind in Europe – run as a charity as a space for members to get together socially and to restore vehicles.
The roof has been patched up previo
