FOCUSING ON...
Midlands enthusiasts clock up miles for good causes
‘It just sort of happened really,’ says Mark O’Neill, founder of Classic Car Charity Tours. ‘I’ve always been involved in the local classic car scene, repairing, restoring, buying and selling them. It’s what I’ve always done.
Then, with a couple of mates, we decided to put on a few drives locally where we’d get together and drive around. A couple of years ago, we decided we should raise a few quid for charity while doing it, so that’s what we’ve done.’
For 2024, CCCT put on its biggest tour yet – for a modest £35 entry fee, it was a 135-mile tour of the Worcestershire boundaries, starting with bacon rolls at the Gigmill Pub in Stourbridge and heading around the borders of the county, taking in scenic places such as Malvern Heights and Broadway Village.
Fifty cars turned up, ranging from a Perodua Nippa to an early flat-floor E-Type.
The oldest was a 1926 Wolverhamptonbuilt Clyno, and the newest a trio of 2004 MG TFs, one of which was taken along by our own charities correspondent.
It was a terrific day – wonderful cars, great banter, superb choices of tea, coffee and cake stops and – above all – a great day of celebrating a shared passion for quirky old motors with some truly lovely people. The real winner, though, was the MS Trust – a Multiple Sclerosis charity that saw its coffers boosted by £1150 thanks to the generosity of all those who took part in the tour.
‘It was a terrific result and a superb day,’ said Mark. ‘We started this out as just a way of a few of us getting together and enjoying our old cars, but over the past few years we’ve raised over £6000 for a number of charities and we’re going to keep on doing it – everyone benefits and we have a great day out. This is the biggest one yet, but there will be other tours to come and they’re more popular each time.’
If you’d like to explore some of the highlights of one of the most charming and under-publicised corners of the UK, then follow the Classic Car Charity Tours page on Facebook for more information on future events at facebook. com/groups/ 1658080597686239.
Charity HEROES
Ever since the first lockdown, I’ve been part of an online group chat with three of my closest friends. It has grown to become a small corner of the internet that brings joy and comfort in equal measure and is now a truly important part of my life. It’s a group chat that was formed through a mutual love of inexpensive, characterful old cars and has evolved into one in which four blokes in their thirties and forties have simply become great mates. Think Clarkson, Hammond and May, but withou
