JUNE 2023 NEWSLETTER

Hi All,
With official summertime now started and the weather picking up nicely, the classic car scene is in full swing with numerous events over our region, from single manufacturer to traditional mixed vehicle shows. Lots of our beloved cars will be taking part in these events so I look forward to meeting up with old friends and making new as I attend some of the events over summer. Remember “a stranger is just a friend you haven’t met” !
Below are some updates on our recent events and those planned later this summer, so get your T-Cut out and start the polishing!

2023 SPRING TREAURE HUNT/DRIVE IT DAY
As you will be aware, unfortunately due to inclement weather on the Saturday and the same forecast for Sunday, this event was cancelled at very last minute. However, the pre-arranged meal at the pub went ahead and there was a solid turnout of 24 members, with a handful of cars making an appearance.
The food and service at the pub were excellent and all enjoyed the meal and the social gathering. A disappointment to have to cancel, but the route will not ‘go off’ so will be taken out of the freezer and rescheduled for later in summer or early autum!

BCCC ANNUAL SHOW, 14th MAY 2023

For those newer members, a brief resume of how this show has evolved over the years…..This, our annual show, started initially to help support the survival of Barnet Market and encourage town centre shopping This year was our 8th organised event in Barnet. In previous years, we had displayed cars both outside Waitrose on the bandstand area and in a section of the old market site. Unfortunately, the arrangements relating to the display outside Waitrose started to get more complicated and onerous with the incumbent Spires m anagement . So if we were to continue with this increasingly popular event, a new display space became a priority to locate and secure. We thought we had this all sorted when, in 2018, we managed to negotiate and combine our show with the British Army Open Day on the St Albans Rd Royal Logistics Corp site. This event was hugely successful for both parties and all were pleased with the turnout, so we were hoping to repeat it year on year. However cuts in army budgets has unfortunately meant that their open days are now limited and not held at the St Albans Road location anymore. Negotiations /discussions then began with the owners of the Spires car park in Stapleton Rd., culminating in our first use of this space for a show. Again it was a successful and well attended event. Following changes to the car park ownership, discussions had to start all over again and a positive outcome was eventually achieved, and once more we have had use of the top floor parking area in its entirety!

So massive thanks must go out to our founder member, Chris Nightingale, for all the years of hard and sometimes frustrating discussions with the Spires and the various car park owners to get to where we are now. So for the foreseeable future, he/we may have secured this space for our yearly event.

Now onto the show…………
The forecast for the day was good and starting from an overcast cool morning, it turned out as such with a beautiful day, lovely wall to wall sunshine and no rain! The event organisation involving many committee and club members over the last few months was impeccable, and highly detailed plans were finally drawn up for the pre-show parking, the parade along the High St and the parking in the Spires car park. On the Saturday prior, a site briefing was arranged and the event plans issued to all marshalls to inwardly digest for reference! A great turn out of volunteers offering to assist ensured on the day there were very few issues or unplanned occurrences to deal with.
From the start several vehicles were scheduled to arrive directly at the car park and this worked well with sufficient marshalls on site to park them quickly in the pre-allotted spaces, whilst awaiting the arrival of the mass- assembly of vehicles at the Everyman Cinema which would form the parade.
As a result of the careful planning, the arrival and parking unfolded with no serious delays, and by 10.30am all attending registered vehicles were resting in their allotted spaces! There were over 100 classic cars and motor cycles participating and many hundreds of public/ onlookers, both for the parade along the High Street and for static display on the top deck of the car park. At the event this year we were very happy to have in attendance our first Arkley, the only car to have been made in quantity in the Borough of Barnet. Our ‘badge’ oin tghe Club’s logo has an outline of an Arkley car. It was the brainchild of John Britten, an accomplished racing driver of the 1960s who eventually ran a TVR dealership in Barnet Rd ( now a car wash!). The car was based on old or damaged Austin-Healey Sprites or MG Midgets. It consisted of fitting new front and rear ends to the base chassis, and it is estimated that around 1,000 were made.
The top floor event space was split into different areas/ time periods for vehicles, with a special space reserved for the larger than life American cars attending! The pre-war cars included a magnificent 1920s Bentley and a Lagonda of the same period. The American cars included an immaculate Model A Ford. Cars from the post-war period, 60s and 70s MGs and TRs , Lotus etc battled it out for supremacy in their numbers. OMG …..I wonder who triumphed?!
Once again, the music was excellent, and we are eternally grateful to Katie Oldham and her backing group who have played for us during 7 of our 8 shows. Katie is an incredibly talented local singer and with her excellent band many favourite songs were covered superbly and enjoyed by all. The tea and cakes stall was a very welcome inclusion and seriously fab cakes etc. with tea and coffee were delightfully served by the Bull Players who worked tirelessly, ensuring refreshments were available at very cost-conscious prices!
WORK IN PROGRESS – MORE TO BE ADDED

MARCH 2023 NEWSLETTER

Hi All,
Well… spring has sprung, alas with some dodgy weather to greet the season! Great to have the longer days though as this always feels a positive change is happening. The incoming classic car scene will start to pick up quickly and all will be good in this best of possible worlds where every prospect is pleasing and only rust is vile! A lot of our beloved cars will still be in hibernation and awaiting the right moment to emerge, but I’m sure with all the ample tinkering over winter, they will be resplendent…. Below are some updates on what we are planning for this year so the moment is here!!

SPRING TREASURE HUNT

The planning for this has now been completed and we are going ahead with this event on National Drive It day on 23th April. See below for the flyer advertising the event . Please message Derrick Haggerty /Chris Skinner to advise of attendance as we need to let the Woodman Pub owners know of our arrangements. The pub does great food and there will be an opportunity after the run to have some food and a drink to recover! It may sound easy to organise an event such as this, but believe me there is considerable time taken in planning/organisation so thanks to Derrick and Chris Skinner for pulling this together.

The route plan will be issued on the day, this will be a circular run starting and ending (hopefully!) at the same location. We would ask, if at all possible, for each car to have a minimum of 2 occupants for safety and safe driving purposes. As mentioned on the flyer above, we will be seeking a small voluntary contribution from participants to cover the costs and to add to our donations to the club adopted charity – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Barnet. The Treasure Hunt should take no longer than 2 hrs and is about 30miles long, providing you don’t get lost! There are no fuel stops on the way, so please ensure you are well tanked up before you start and not when you leave the pub after lunch! The pub have kindly agreed to open early so we can have our ‘event briefing’ indoors with a coffee and we will have full access to the toilets before you leave.
On Sundays the pub has a carvery lunch and as such is very busy so it is very important to let Derrick know if you wish to attend the lunch as they have offered to secure our normal meeting room if we have enough people staying on. Please drop Derrick an email/message as soon as possible to confirm if you will be attending the main event and /if you will be staying on for lunch.
Feel free just to attend the lunch if you do not want to participate in the main event, but we will need to know the numbers in advance.

BCCC ANNUAL SHOW 2023 UPDATE

Planning is well under way for the annual BCCC event at the Spires. This will take place on Sunday, May 14th – see flyer as below. We are meeting up at the Everyman Cinema no later than 10.30am for a controlled departure of cars to drive up Barnet Hill and along the High St for a classic car parade, starting from 11am onwards. The cars will then make their way to The Spires MSCP to park up on the top deck which has been reserved for our attendance.
We will need to control the number attending on the day and need to advise the car park operators of our VRM’s in advance in order to avoid having to pay or pick up a possible PCN. Please can you make contact with Chris Martin via Groups.IO or direct to book your attendance. More info will be released closer to the date so please keep an eye on the messaging on Groups.IO. To nominally help offset our carbon emissions ! we intend having a collection bucket waved around with all proceeds collected to help cover our costs and also donate to our adopted charity. Note that volunteers for traffic control /parking management in the car park would be appreciated so again please get in touch with Chris or myself. All vehicles not taking part in the parade will need to be in place on the top level of the car park by 10.30am at latest as the show will open to the public at 11.00am. and we need to limit the car movements for safety reasons. Admission will only be allowed by pre-booking as your vehicle registration number is required by the car park management in order to waive car parking charges. The route to the car park for those meeting at the Everyman Cinema prior to the parade is shown below.

OTHER EVENTS

Enfield Pageant May – 27/28th May 2023
Harpended Classics on the Common – 26th July with tickets on sale from 6th April
Tewin Car Show – 20th August
Capel Manor Show – September 3rd
Goat Inn Hertford Heath – first Sunday every month, all cars wellcome.
Regarding the Enfield Pageant, I will be working with the MCR to try to secure a display area for MCR/BCCC. Traditionally the MCR attend en masse on the Sunday so we could use the space on the Saturday and on the Sunday too if spaces are available for smaller cars. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in attending.

CLUB SOCIAL MEET-UPS

As advised before we have increased the frequency of the meet-ups. They are on the 2nd Saturday of each month starting in February – see Calendar page for future dates. They start at 2pm for a drink and chat.

We have now had two meetings this year at the Woodman Inn, Warrengate Rd, Water End AL9 7TT with a good attendance at each. There were around 20 people and a handful of classics at the March event – see pictures below. We may change this meeting place from time to time to mix it up a bit and to enable a longer run out for our cars. However, the reception so far from the staff at the Woodman has been positive and car friendly so we are happy with this venue at the moment. The Club Christmas meal will be on Saturday,9th December, with details to be released nearer the date.

CLUB REGALIA

If anyone would like further screen stickers and/or a Club polo shirt – in green with Club Logo – then contact Paul Johnson via the Club Groups.io forum and delivery can be arranged.

BCCC COMMITTEE

At our most recent meeting (7/3/23), we continued with our discussions regarding the future plans and direction for the club. The consensus, as now, is to still keep matters as simple as possible, but to continue to enhance our profile by utilising current media platforms for information dissemination/exchange. To this end, Chris Martin has set up the Facebook page for BCCC see link below:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/922544478743138/?ref=share_group_link.
So please have a look, join and keep an eye out for club meetings and future events. Post some pictures of your cars and any interesting stories about them. Please also invite any of your friends who already have, or are are interested in, classic vehicles to join the group. We have almost completed the setting up of a no fee bank account with NatWest. We felt that this is now a necessity for holding funds, as we will have ongoing costs, some of which I detail below.
Club Funds: To keep our ongoing tradition of being a free club, we will seek to raise any funds we may need through voluntary contributions at events, or sometimes via mandatory small contributions. We currently do need to cover some annual and ongoing costs. As part of this we are looking at seeking some annual club sponsorship to hopefully cover most of our commitments. This is ongoing and to date we already have a commitment from the Hertford Motor Co. which is great news. As you know Martyn Gerrard provide advertising for the annual show on their sale boards and we will be looking for volunteers to have a sign outside their property for a short period leading up to the event. Please let Derrick, myself or Marty know if you are ok with this.
Third Party Insurance : as we are “organising” official BCCC events, no matter how small , or if we are attending as a club we need to have minimum PL insurance cover. This is being checked out currently and we will advise as soon as we know the costs of covering this liability.

Club Gazebo: Another must have for club events will be a small gazebo, this will ultimately be purchased from donations/sponsorship collected during the forthcoming events.
Advertising Posters / Banners etc: We have a number of banners that are used at strategic locations before the annual show and these need to be modified to reflect the 2023 dates so there are small costs applicable. These are getting past their ‘sell by’ date so new ones will be required next year. We also need to printout and laminate some A4 posters to band onto lighting columns and telegraph poles to advertise the show.

Looking forward to a busy year. Best wishes,

James Beeton

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JANUARY 2023 NEWSLETTER

Hi All,
Firstly a Happy New Year to all our members and supporters and I look forward to some great meet ups this year. Below is a quick update on recent events and some plans for 2023.

BARNET XMAS FAYRE
The annual Barnet Xmas Fayre took place on Sunday 4th December.
Following a meeting with the organisers, we were invited to attend again and provide a small display of vehicles as last year. We were luckily given the same space as 2021 which was an excellent location by St John’s Church on the High Street – this is the first section of the Fayre if arriving up the hill, or conversely the last when departing. This gave us easy access/egress for our vehicles, and the space also meant we could erect a club gazebo on the hardstanding beside the church car park. The day was very challenging weather wise as it was freezing cold and remained dull and overcast all day. However, it remained dry which was a bonus, and didn’t dampen our or our visitors’ enthusiasm. Having the pitch next to the church proved very advantageous as they had numerous events scheduled throughout the day, coupled with fab cake and tea stalls and even a pop up bar provided by Urban Alchemy – local Barnet brewers of choice – holy water of course😊. With the warmth and other necessary ‘facilities’ it was a welcome relief to pop in occasionally from the cold. Here are some of the photos taken on the day including a rather dodgy chap trying to borrow a Jag for a quick getaway😊.

We ran the successful “Dream Ride” raffle once more and this proved even more popular than last year. At one point we even ran out of tickets and an emergency supply was provided by Chris. At the final reckoning we raised a fantastic £570.00. Some of this will go towards funding a Club gazebo (for our organised events) with a further sum to be donated later this year to a local charity – the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. BCCC Attendees: Bill /Zodiac, Derrick/Pop, Paul/MGC, George/Jag, Graham/Jag, Howard/Cadillac/Ferrari, Chris Martin/Austin with Andy from T&H, Clare, and myself, so a big thanks to all who organised / assisted so cheerfully and made the display and day another success.

XMAS MEAL AND MEET UP 10/12/22
The Xmas meal this year was held at the Woodman Inn at Water End. This was well attended by BCCC diners and a great festive feast was enjoyed by all. The December social meet up also coincided on the same afternoon at this new venue. The consensus amongst attendees was that the pub has the feel of a genuine local pub with extremely wellcoming staff and a great atmosphere.
The draw for the Dream Ride 2023 took place after the meal and three lucky winners were plucked from the hat. They will be contacted by email and offered a selection of vehicles to choose from for their ride on a date to be mutually agreed with the owner/driver.

UPDATE ON 2023 BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW
Hopefully good news for 2023, Chris Nightingale has confirmed that the Spires NCP car park has been taken over by Britannia Parking and there seems to be a lot of good will regarding holding the annual show in the car park again! We will be talking to the management over the next few months and hopefully be able to strike a deal with them for use of part or all of the top floor. Looking at the diary ahead for 2023, May is our preferred month for the event and we are looking at provisionally the 14th May. (NOTE THAT SINCE THIS NEWSLETTER WAS WRITEN, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO USE THE TOP FLOOR OF THE CAR PARK FOR OUR SHOW ON SUNDAY, 14th MAY)
To nominally help offset our carbon emissions😊! we intend having a collection bucket waved around with all proceeds ( suggest equivalent parking fee!) collected to go to our adopted charity – Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice

TREASURE HUNT
Unfortunately time ran out to get this event organised for 2022 so we had to defer this until 2023. We will email info out as and when we move this forward, as before current thinking still is of starting out from the Duke of York or Woodman and possibly returning there at the end of the run. The plan is to run the event on the annual ‘Drive it Day ‘taking place on April 23rd.

OTHER EVENTS
Enfield Pageant May – dates TBA
East Barnet Festival early July – date TBA
Harpended Classics on the Common July -date TBA
Tewin Car Show August – date TBA
Capel Manor Show September – date TBA
Also we plan later in the year to do the odd trip out to The Goat Inn at Hertford Heath which has an ‘all welcome’ car gathering on the first Sunday of every month (see below).

CLUB SOCIAL MEET UPS

At our newly extended committee meeting on 28th December, it was unanimously agreed that we should increase the frequency of the social meet ups in 2023 to a monthly turn out. These would be on the 2nd Saturday each month starting in February from 2pm onwards for a drink and chat. (See CALENDAR page of this website for dates) We discussed the venue choice and this will now default initially to the Woodman Inn, Warrengate Rd, Water End AL9 7TT. However, we may change this from time to time to get a bit more variety and a longer run out for our metally friends😊!

CLUB REGALIA
If anyone would like further screen stickers andor a Club polo shirt (in green with Club logo) then contact Paul Johnson via the Club’s groups.io forum and delivery can be arranged.

BCCC COMMITTEE
During the successful Barnet Xmas Fayre we had a number of members volunteer to join the committee for 2023. This is great news as we can now spread the organising load more fairly from the core members who did all
the work in 2022. Another obvious benefit is that with greater membership there will be enhanced diversity of thoughts/ideas. At the meeting we agreed the adoption of monthly meet ups, and some key events where BCCC would have a club stand – these being East Barnet Festival, Tewin and Capel Manor (details as above). We discussed further the future direction of the Club and the consensus, as now, is to keep matters as simple as we possibly can, but to enhance our profile by utilising current media platforms for information/dissemination exchange. We also unanimously agreed that it would be good to include a purpose-led goal within our yearly activities and as such we have decided it would be great to support and adopt a local charity as our chosen cause. To this end we have decided on Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. This is an incredible organisation devoted to the care and support of all placed in their care, who strive for children and families to make the most of the time they have together, creating memories that last a lifetime. As always funding is tight and any donations, no matter how large or small, are gratefully received. They were thrilled to receive our donation last year and thus we intend to repeat the same again this year, and keep this focus in our minds when we are all out having fun in our beloved vehicles.
For information to all, the committee now consists of 9 permanent members: Howard Pryor, Chris Nightingale, Derrick Haggerty, Paul Johnson, James Beeton, with new members being Chris Martin, Marty Collins, George Dimitriadis, Chris Frost, and of course not forgetting our honorary lifetime peer Owen Jones. So a huge thanks to all the new volunteers and looking forward to a sucessful 2023 …………..I can put my feet up now!

Best wishes, James Beeton

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NOVEMBER 2022 NEWSLETTER

As all are aware for numerous reasons the annual BCCC show 2022 did not take place, a shame but we had no real option this year. However, hopefully good news for 2023, Chris Nightingale has reported that the Spires car park has been taken over by Britannia Parking and there seems to be a lot of good will regarding holding the annual show in the car park! We will be talking to the management over the next few months and hopefully be able to strike a deal with them. Looking at the diaries ahead for 2023, May is our preferred month for the event and we are looking provisionally at Sunday, 14th May – to be confirmed.

TREASURE HUNT
Unfortunately time ran out to get this event organised for this year so we will shelve it until next year now. I will email info out as and when we move this forward, as before, current thinking still is of starting out from the Duke of York and possibly returning there at the end of the run. Any other ideas regarding this would be gratefully received!

TEWIN CAR SHOW, SUNDAY 21/8/22
This great event went ahead as planned and the day was excellent, beautiful weather prevailed and a healthy turn-out of excellent cars. The field was full up! The catering on site and the music were all superb, a handful of stalls trading local goods and other items were present and provided further interest at the event. Keep in mind for next year as it is a not to miss show!

CAPEL MANOR SHOW, SUNDAY 4/9/22
Another great late summer event attended regularly by some BCCC Members.
As with Tewin, this turned out to be great day with the weather gods all aligned to once again allow an excellent day out. A full turn-out of clubs and cars this year, with a superb selection of veteran and pre-war cars on the coveted front lawn of the house ! The added bonus of this venue is that you can take full advavtage of the wonderful garden.

CHARITY DONATION FROM XMAS FAYRE, 2021
For info, in late September we were invited to attend a small reception at the Noah’s Ark Hospice in Barnet. Howard, Derrick and Paul were able to attend and, on behalf of Barnet Classic Car Club, presented a cheque for £100 to their charity. We were shown around this magnificent building with fabulous facilities and dedicated staff. These funds were raised at last year’s Barnet Xmas Fayre where we displayed 5 classic cars in the High Street in Barnet. We sold raffle tickets for the winner(s) to have a “Dream Ride” ride in a classic car of their choice.

SOCIAL MEET-UP, 15/10/22
This was arranged for Saturday pm at our usual meet-up point, the Duke of York . A good turn-out again, with the library in the pub completely full with members and partners. We invited one of the winners (James) of the “Dream Ride” competition from last year’s Xmas Fayre. He went out in Paul’s E type and then had a bonus second ride in Derrick’s car. The actual ticket was originally won by a gentleman called Frank who kindly re-raffled it at his Welwyn Garden Golf Club Event, and James paid £80.00 for the experience! He absolutely loved the day and came and joined us all for a drink afterwards. It was good to see a young person showing so much interest in old cars. The other interesting thing was that he was 6’6’’ tall and still managed to get in the E Type(!). No problem in Derrick’s Ford Pop as his head still did not touch the headlining! This again proves one of the many well known facts and benefits of owning a Ford Pop, and that is it is one of the few cars you can drive whilst wearing a top hat! The other good thing about this story is that the money James paid was donated to charity which meant we now actually made £180 for charity on the back of the Xmas Fayre!

DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT MUSEUM VISIT, 4/11/22
As a final event for 2023, we arranged to attend the De Havilland Museum just outside Potters Bar and close to London Colney. This very interesting collection is the only museum dedicated to De Havilland aviation, which was based at Hatfield for many years. The collection consists of a great collection of De Havilland aircraft and material /info. There is also an active restoration workshop which is manned by skilled and enthusiastic volunteers. To get the guided tour option with reserved parking in front of the hangers, we had to get a minimum of 10 attendees, and in the end we had 12 members turn out for the tour. Unfortunately on the day the weather was not kind and only a few of our beloved cars made an appearance, so hats off to those owners who braved the elements! The tour started off around 10.30am with coffee/tea and bikkies, and then into the hangers from around 11am. We were expertly guided around by a very knowledgeable tour guide – Lawrence- through the various displays from early DH aircraft like the Hornet Moth, the bizarre Cierva Autogiro and the DH88 Racer, through to the display of later jets – Sea Venom and Vampire and the famous Comet 1a passenger jet. Then into the famous Mosquito Hanger displaying 3 magnificent examples of this iconic aircraft, including the only existing prototype. This amazing aircraft, built in traditional De Havilland style largely of wood and fabric, was used in many guises in the 2nd World War and was the fastest aircraft flying at the time, finally only just being pipped by the late ME262 jet aircraft at the end of the war! From this hanger we were taken through the fantastic restoration workshops where amongst others there was a cut-away Merlin Engine which was turned over on batteries to view the workings. Then out into the standing displays surrounding the Museum: DH121 Trident, BA146, Vampire, Heron, Dove etc. The larger passenger jets displays consist of fuselage sections and the flight decks. Ryan Air would have a fit if they saw the comfort and space in the cabins!! Interestingly, in the Comet there was no under-cabin baggage storage as found on modern craft, there was only a small room at the front where you could stow some small bags! As initially it was an expensive aircraft to fly on, the thought was that the well-heeled passengers would have sent their luggage on ahead!! The tour concluded around 2 pm, so took around 3 hours which made the entrance fee for this option excellent value. One of the key manufacturing advantages of the wood-framed aircraft built by DH was that the various parts of the planes could be made off site by any capable manufacturers in wood, such as chair manufacturers, furniture makers etc. In fact, one of our members, Lewis Green’s grandfather who was an umbrella stick maker by trade, worked for DH during the war period crafting component parts for the aircraft builds! Some photos from the visit are shown below.

Finally, a big thanks to Derrick Haggerty for arranging this attendance.

SOCIAL MEET-UPS
Below are proposed dates for bi-monthly meet-ups on Saturdays from 2pm onwards for a drink and chat. The default venue is the Duke of York, however we may change this from time to time to get a bit more of a run-out for our furry friends😊
 10/12/2022 – plus Xmas Meal see below for more info.
 11/02/2023
 8/04/2023
 10/06/2023

The Club Christmas meal will also be on Saturday,10th December, and we shall meet at, say 12.00pm, for sitting down at, say 12.45pm. For all those members who would like to attend, please contact Paul Johnson as soon as possible so that numbers can be established and a suitable space reserved. Note there may be a full contingent already but pleased make contact if interested.

ANNUAL BARNET XMAS FAYRE, 4/12/22

The annual Barnet Xmas Fayre will take place on 4th December. Following a meeting with the organisers, we have been asked to attend again and provide a display of vehicles as last year. We hope to occupy the same space and will run our “Dream Ride” raffle again as this proved very popular. From the meet- up at the D of Y on 15th October some further members have volunteered to marshal the cars at the event which is great news. More info will be emailed/forwarded closer to the event.

CLUB NEWS/REGALIA
If anyone would like further screen stickers and or a Club polo shirt , in green with the club logo, then contact Paul Johnson via the Club’s Groups.io forum and delivery can be arranged.
Finally to close, I would like again to ask if any other members would consider joining the “committee” to help out / proffer ideas with any organising or planning that we may conjure up! With full time long hours of work for current committee members, organising even simple events can take a lot of hard earned free time and we simply need some others to help out on a regular basis to maintain our club momentum. Nothing too onerous just a bit of time and effort needed to keep the wheels rolling! It really would make a massive difference if there was more willing help at hand. So please think about it, do it and put your hand up, you know it makes sense😊.
Best Wishes,

James Beeton

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AUGUST 2022 NEWSLETTER

BCCC ANNUAL SHOW UPDATE

A message was sent out on by Chris Nightingale – 9/9/22 – regarding the proposed annual show which for many unfortunate reasons will not happen this year. I have included the body of the message below, in case some may have missed the posting. This is a great shame as we have had many successful shows over recent years and that is indeed how many current members first met up with our club and have continued supporting ever since.
This is not through want of trying and very big thanks to Chris as always for his never giving up…

“Unfortunately, there will be no Barnet classic car show this year, but we will aim to make amends next year. It wasn’t for want of trying. If you want to read further about the sorry tale, a brief summary of the problems follows: (i) Our preferred venue of The Spires NCP car park has not been possible because NCP have refused to communicate with us or, for that matter, with the Spires management due to a dispute over the termination of their contract. (ii) With the Spires car park proving difficult, we looked to having the show as part of a Barnet Summer Fayre on the Sunday of the Platinum Jubilee weekend. We gave up after two months of trying to squeeze an answer from Barnet Council as to whether they would close the High Street as they do for the annual Christmas Fayre. Time had run out (iii) James Beeton’s query to Army Reserve Centre in St Albans Road did receive the courtesy of a quick response which was, regretfully, that they are not having an open day this year. (iv) As an alternative to the High Street for the Jubilee weekend, we looked to the old market site in St Albans Road where the first shows were held. This was not possible as the site was due to be sold around the start of June and the new owner’s name was not to be revealed until the sale was completed. Our attempt to use the site for September 18th ran into the same problem (!) because the earlier sale fell through and a new buyer has been found with a completion date of the end of this month. This would not give us sufficient time for all the necessary arrangements if permission was to be given. It is true that there are other sites, but one of the main aims of the show since its inception has been to add an attraction for Barnet residents and visitors to come to see that High Barnet town centre is a lively place to come to eat, drink and shop. Hence our preference for a site in or around The Spires.
Finally, it might seem that the world was against us having a car show in Barnet, but this is far from the truth. Many people are to be thanked for helping and backing us and there were only two villains, namely NCP and the council department responsible for road closures over the Jubilee.”

EAST BARNET FESTIVAL 3rd JULY

Another successful year for this great annual East Barnet event, with fab weather ensuring huge attendance on both days. There were many interesting trading stalls present and lots of great food stalls, with a well-run bar for the traditional refreshing cold drink!! The family run Travelling Fair, which has attended every year, was as exciting as always with some classic rides for all to risk life and limb such as dodgems, ghost train, swings etc., etc.
The music stages and tents had some great acts with some excellent performances from local musicians continuing into the lovely summer evening.
The free to attend car event held on the Sunday was probably the best turn out yet with hundreds of cars spread out over two areas within Oak Hill Park.
The Classics (as we know them!) were all gathered up on the main event field and the newer customised “pimped” cars on display were on the second field.
This worked really well for both sets of owners with plenty of interest and enthusiasm, and respect for the various vehicles shown from all owners.
We had an excellent turn out of club members as this was the first major event we have attended as a club get together, with some 28 cars on show. We had been allocated a great location backing onto the Pymmes Brook so plenty of safe clear access for all to view and to place out seating areas. So a big thanks to Derrick Haggerty for liaising with the event organisers and securing our Club area, and not to mention the small victory of winning car of the show – seen below blagging the prize from the Mayor 😊..
Some photos from the event:

TREASURE HUNT

As previously mentioned we are still hoping to run a “Treasure Hunt” circular drive out. If we can get this organised it will now be an early autumn run. The planning for this is in progress, but due to work commitments it is taking a lot longer than anticipated so as soon as we get clearer details, I will email info out. Current thinking still is of starting out from the Duke of York and possibly returning there at the end of the run.

TEWIN CAR SHOW SUNDAY 21/8/22

This ticketed event is taking place on Sunday 21/8/22 at the usual Upper Green cricket field. I have had a number of members asking if we can have a club area, to do this we would need to arrive at the event and park together.
Display cars need to be on the field before 12am and traditionally I have got on site around 11am with the MCR Club. A good meeting point is the car park on the B1000 -Waterside -Welyn Garden City as below- approx post code is AL7 1NG so if any members attending would like to group up then I would suggest meeting here around at 10.30 am to allow time to get on site by 11am.

CAPEL MANOR SHOW SUNDAY 4/9/22

Another great late summer event attended regularly by BCC Members.
As per Tewin if we want to gather as a club then meeting beforehand would be the way forward. Meeting point possibly as below. Again I think all cars need to be on site by 11am so 10.30am would be fine.

SOCIAL MEET UPS

We discussed this at our recent committee catch up/review and decided that maybe a regular bi-monthly meet up would be acceptable by all so below are proposed dates for meeting on a Saturday from 2pm onwards for a drink and chat. The venue will default to the Duke of York, however we may change this from time to time to get a bit more of a run out for our furry friends😊
 15/10/2022
 10/12/2022
 11/02/2023
 8/04/2023
 10/06/2023

CLUB NEWS/REGALIA

If anyone would like further screen stickers and or a Club Polo shirt – in green with Club Logo – then contact Paul Johnson via the Club Groups I/O forum and delivery can be arranged.
The Groups I/O forum has proven to be very successful for us stepping into the 21st century communications/social media, and we have approx. 85 BCCC members fully affiliated /signed on.
Moving forward we will need to be mindful, if we still agree this is a good facility and wish to keep the forum functioning that this is a free to use a cloud based forum and there is a limit to the number of subscribed users before the platform will require the inevitable subscription fees for continued use. Some way off as yet, but getting closer!
I was thinking maybe to add in to the newsletter a “Car of the Month” feature, so if anyone would like to forward a brief history /story of their loved one (car!) with a photo or two, I will look at adding this in future for interest…
Finally to close I would like again to ask if any other members would consider joining the “committee” to help out / proffer ideas with any organising or planning that we may conjure up! With full time long hours of work for current committee members organising even simple events can take a lot of hard earned free time and we simply need some others to help out on a regular basis to maintain our club momentum. Nothing too onerous just a bit of time and effort needed to keep the wheels rolling! It really would make a massive difference with more willing help at hand. So please think about it, do it and put your hand up, you know it makes sense😊

Best wishes, James Beeton

_________________________________________________

JUNE 2022 NEWSLETTER

PLANS FOR 2022

So to thoughts for events / meetings for 2022:
TREASURE HUNT
As previously mentioned we are hoping to run a “Treasure Hunt” circular drive out in spring/early summer. The planning for this is in progress, but due to work commitments it will a little longer than anticipated so as soon as we get clearer details, I will email info out. Current thinking is of starting out from the Duke of York and possibly returning there at the end of the run.
NATIONAL DRIVE IT DAY
On April on 24th we enjoyed a short run out on a beautifully sunny day, starting from the Duke of York and ending up at Whitewebbs Museum. Attendance was brilliant with some 15 members and cars taking part. We assembled at the DofY around 9.45am for a 10 am depart. The route chosen was through Barnet High St, down the Hill to East Barnet, then up Cat Hill ( a hill climb race track many years ago!) to Cockfosters , by Trent Park to Botany Bay and Crewes Hill ending up at the Whitewebbs Museum. En route we met other groups driving around for the same purpose so it was a fun drive it outing. There were other clubs and cars arriving at Whitewebbs so a very interesting display of vehicles. We had a discounted price for entry including a hot drink of choice which was well received. The Café was open for breakfast rolls etc, and the magical Cave of Auto Jumble parts was also open for all to search for that elusive nut and bolt or spanner!! This was also the unveiling of the BCCC Sail Flag, here anchored down by a Mini Moke😊. Below are some photos of the cars:

BCCC ANNUAL SHOW
We will of course be organising our annual car show in High Barnet later this year. We had hoped around June time at the Jubilee Weekend but the initial approaches to the Council for a joint town centre event with others and the use of the High St space has proven futile and a negative response so we have shelved that idea. NCP change of ownership/management has meant that the use of the top floor of the car park is unlikely to be made available for early June time however that may change by late summer. Another option was to revert to the disused old market site, this is being transitioned between one owner and another and the deal has been delayed so again this is unlikely to be available for our early use. So we have now decided to postpone this event to September 18th. This will give us more time to review our options and get a solid plan in place. Dates and location will be advised once confirmed.

EAST BARNET FESTIVAL 3rd JULY
For those who have never been this is a great local event with many entertainment tents, stalls, a couple of music stages and a funfair. The car show has grown over the past few years from the 10 -12 cars when I first attended to well over a hundred at last show and growing! The cars are split in category’s over two days so that all types have the opportunity to be shown, from classics as we know them, to modern classics, hot rods, and “pimped” rides! Make no mistake these are fantastic and the skills and work to create the unique cars is very impressive so well worth viewing, it is just great to see the enthusiastic owners and to chat to them.
We have contacted the organisers regarding reserving a space specifically designated for Barnet CCC members and they have agreed which is excellent news! Please can you respond back via groups I/O so we can get a feel for numbers wishing to attend.

TOTTERIDGE COMMON SHOW
On 21 May at the request of the organisers, we supported the Dorland Nature Reserve charity event on Totteridge Common. With the previous day’s horrible rainy weather it was a relief to roll out on the Saturday morning with the BBC’s forecast of a fair day, and by midday as promised the sun was out , the cars were out and a great day was had by all!

So once more a big thank you to all the members who had committed and came along. Being a smaller gathering there was more time to chat to fellow members about their cars and all sorts of pub stuff so most enjoyable! A few photo images from the event below😊

DUKE OF YORK MEET-UP
How about another social meet up at the Duke of York for early summer? Thinking of the date Saturday 18th June from 2pm onwards.

CLUB NEWS/REGALIA
At the East Barnet Festival 3rd July we are again likely to run the “Dream Rides “raffle. This was very successful at the 2021 Xmas Fair and I suspect it will be popular again! So volunteer cars would be appreciated. If anyone would like further screen stickers and or a Club Polo shirt – in green with Club Logo then contact Paul Johnson via the Club Groups I/O forum and we can bring some along.

2022:SOME DATES FOR EVENTS IN 2022
East Barnet Festival – 1/3rd July
Harpenden Classics on the Common -27th July- ticketed event
Tewin Show – 21st August – Ticketed event (but if space available you can turn up on day)
Capel Manor – 4th September – Ticketed event

As a note and partly due to due to the changes in the way we all handle money / purchases these days, a lot of events are now moving to pre booked tickets, this makes their charitable collections easier and with the increase in numbers attending shows makes for easier traffic management on the day, good old cash sometimes is not king! The Groups I/O forum has proven to be very successful for us stepping into the 21st century communications/social media, and we have approx. 80 BCCC members fully affiliated / signed on. Moving forward we will need to be mindful, if we still agree this is a good facility and wish to keep the forum functioning, as this is a free to use cloud based forum, there is a limit to the number of subscribed users before the platform will require the inevitable subscription fees for continued use. Some way off as yet! I was thinking maybe to add in to the newsletter a “car of the Month” feature, so if anyone would like to forward a brief history /story of their loved one(car!) with a photo or so I will look at adding this in future for interest… Finally to close I would like again to ask if any other members would consider joining the “committee” to help out / proffer ideas with any organising or planning that we may conjur up! We need some diversity in the cabinet, – parties are allowed now! Additionally volunteering to help out occasionally with organising events etc etc. Nothing to onerous just a bit of time and effort needed now and again. It really makes a massive difference with more willing help at hand.
Think about it you know it makes sense😊
Best Wishes.
James Beeton

________________________________________________

APRIL 2022 NEWSLETTER

Hi All, to catch up:
We had a small gathering / social meeting at the Duke of York on Saturday 2nd April. A small number of brave classic cars made it out of hibernation (with their owners!) for this informal gathering but bearing in mind the time of year and the unpredictable weather on the day most will remain snoozing for a few more weeks yet. As usual some useful interchange of valuable info and general chit chat was enjoyed by members attending. For the next social meet up, I would again suggest we meet on a Saturday pm at the Duke of York probably around mid-May, however as an alternative there may be renewed interest in meeting at the Crooked Billet in Colney Heath thus giving the cars a better chance to warm up! I will email out a date / venue in due course.

Plans for 2022

So to thoughts for events / meetings for 2022:
Treasure Hunt
As previously mentioned we are hoping to run a “Treasure Hunt” circular drive out in spring. The planning for this is in progress so as soon as we get clearer details, I will email info out. Currently we are thinking of starting out from the Duke of York and possibly returning there at the end of the run.
National Drive it Day
On April on 24th there will be the annual “Drive it Day” where lots of classic car owners can be seen out and about. So maybe we could gather as a group and have a short run out locally and end up at the open day at WhiteWebbs where we can park up in the Museum Grounds. If this is of interest, please respond on groups. io asap so we can get an idea of numbers likely to attend and make arrangements the short drive out.
Enfield Pageant
The Enfield Pageant will be returning to the calendar this year 28th/29th May. This is a great event with good car displays and dozens of auto jumble/ motoring accessories and general Junk ( the best!), trade stalls. In previous years the display cars were admitted FoC but I think this year there may be a small entry charge for club stands – understandable considering the loss of revenue over last couple of years.
BCCC Annual Show
We will of course be organising our annual car show in High Barnet later this year. We had hoped around June time at the Jubilee Weekend but the initial approaches to the Council for a joint Town centre event with others and the use of the High St space has proven futile and a negative response so we have shelved that idea. Turmoil at NCP has meant that the use of the top floor of the car park is unlikely to be made available for early June time however that may change by late summer. Another option was to revert to the disused old market site, this is being transitioned between one owner and another and the deal has been delayed so again this is unlikely to be available for our early use. I have communicated with the Army Centre on St Albans Rd to find out if they were going to have the Armed Forces Open Day this year and if they would consider accommodating us for this annual event. fRemember we had a very successful and enjoyable show there some 4 years ago. Sadly due to funding etc. they are cutting back on non-essential events and regretfully this option has now gone west. Not written off for the future though. So we have now decided to postpone this event to Sunday, 18th September. This will give us more time to review our options and get a solid plan in place. Times and location will be advised once confirmed.
East Barnet Festival
For those who have never been this is a great local event with many entertainment tents, stalls, a couple of music stages and a funfair. The car show has grown over the past few years from the 10 -12 cars when I first attended to well over a hundred at the last show and growing! The cars are split into categories over two days so that all types have the opportunity to be shown, from classics as we know them, to modern classics, hot rods, and “pimped” rides! Make no mistake these are fantastic and the skills and work to create the unique cars are very impressive so well worth viewing. It is just great to see the enthusiastic owners and to chat to them. We have contacted the organisers regarding reserving a space specifically designated for BCCC
members and they have agreed which is excellent news! Please can you respond back via groups.io so we can get a feel for numbers wishing to attend.
Totteridge Common Show
We have been asked if any members would be willing to bring a car along for a small display to support this local event on 21st May. The event is to help promote the running of the local Dorlands Nature Reserve as well as other local activities. They are looking for 6-8 classic cars (we must be able to rustle up some pristine examples) for display from around 11am till later pm.
If you are interested please make contact directly with myself via the Forum and let me know names and vehicles to be displayed. I will liaise with the organisers and advise in due course.

Club News/Regalia

At the East Barnet Festival we are again likely to run the “Dream Rides “raffle.
This was very successful at the Xmas Fair and I suspect it will be popular again! So volunteer cars would be appreciated. From the proceeds of this first attempt, we have:

+ Bought a fantastic 4m sail flag in BCCC colours with the club contact details etc. This will be displayed at all BCCC Official gatherings, the first will be the East Barnet Festival!

+ Made a donation to a local charity – Noah’s Ark

+ Procured another batch of BCCC screen stickers

So if anyone would like further screen stickers and or a club polo shirt – in green – with club Logo then contact Paul Johnson via the club’s groups.io forum

Further dates for 2022

Classic Boot Sale Granary Sq. Kings Cross – 23rd/24th April
Tewin Show – 21st August
Harpenden Classics on the Common -27th July
Enfield Pageant – 28/29th May
East Barnet Festival 1/3rd July
Glastonbury Festival of Music and Arts 21-27th June😊
Capel Manor 4th September
As a note and partly due to due to the changes in the way we all handle money/ purchases these days, a lot of events are now moving to pre-booked tickets. This makes their charitable collections easier and with the increase in numbers attending shows makes it for easier traffic management on the day, good old cash sometimes is not king!

Final thoughts

The groups.io forum has proven to be very successful for us stepping into the 21st century communications/social media, and we have approx. 75-80 BCCC members fully affiliated / signed on. Moving forward we will need to be mindful, if we still agree this is a good facility and wish to keep the forum functioning, that this is a free to use cloud-based forum, but there is a limit to the number of subscribed users before the platform will require the inevitable subscription fees for continued use. Some way off as yet!

I was thinking maybe to add in to the newsletter a “Car of the Month” feature, so if anyone would like to forward a brief history /story of their loved one (car!) with a photo or two, I will look at adding this in future for interest.
Finally to close I would like again to ask if any other members would consider joining the committee to help out / proffer ideas for any organising or planning that we may conjure up! We need some diversity in the cabinet!!
Additionally volunteering to help out occasionally with organising events etc. Nothing too onerous, just a bit of time and effort needed now and again. It really makes a massive difference when there is more willing help at hand.
Think about it you know it makes sense😊
Best Wishes,
James Beeton

_________________________________________________

FEBRUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER

Hi All,
Now that the Festive Season is a dim and distant memory and the Covid Rules are being relaxed, or ignored as appropriate , it is time maybe to look forward to Classic Car events for the new year.
We had a very enjoyable meeting at the Duke of York on Saturday 29th Jan with a really good turn out of club members and friends. A small number of classic cars made it out of hibernation for this informal gathering but bearing in mind the time of year and salty, potholed roads etc most will remain snoozing for a few more weeks yet! It was great to see all who came along and to chat with members whom I have really not had a chance to before, we have a great bunch in this club.
For the next social meet up, again we will meet on a Saturday pm at the Duke of York probably around mid to end of March. I will email out a date in due course.

Barnet Xmas Fair 2021
As you know we were invited at short notice by the organisers to display a small number of cars at this annual event. This we did and members brought along some fantastic cars for the display so a big thank you for bringing out the fab cars in such inclement weather. We were located at the St Johns Church end of the High St so the cars were the first thing you came across when entering from the Southern High St /Wood St junction. We were allowed to put up a small Gazebo which proved to be a useful refuge in the rather damp weather that day!
There was great interest in the displayed cars throughout the day so we were kept very busy.
As part of the display Derick Haggerty had organised a “Dream Car” ride raffle.
This was a great last minute fundraising brainwave and proved very popular! At close of play we had raised approx. £250.00 of which we are going to make a donation to a local charity – Noahs Ark, with any remaining going towards funding a club Banner/ Sail flag that we can use at any of our Club gatherings/ events.
The winning tickets x 3 was drawn at the pre Xmas meet up at the Duke if York, They have all been emailed a list of cars they can book a 30min ride in, at a mutually agreeable time/date.
So a big thanks to Derrick and the volunteers who assisted in managing this during the Xmas show.

Plans for 2022
So to thoughts for events / meetings for 2022.
We are hoping to run a “Treasure Hunt” circular drive out in Spring. The planning for this is in progress so as soon as we get clearer details, I will email info out. Currently we are thinking of starting out from the Duke of York and possibly returning there at the end of the run.
On April on 24th there will be the annual “Drive it Day” where lots of classic car owners can be seen out and about. So maybe we could gather as a group and have a short run out locally and end up at the open day at WhiteWebbs where we can park up in the Museum Grounds. If this is of interest, please respond on Groups IO so we can get an idea of numbers likely to attend.
The Enfield Pageant will be returning to the calendar this year 28th/29th May. This is a great event with good car displays and dozens of auto jumble/ motoring accessories and general Junk( the best!), trade stalls .
In the past I have organised a club stand for the Mini Cooper Register and will probably do so again this year subject to the organisers confirming arrangements. This display area for around 10 cars is usually only populated on the Sunday by the MCR so the space could maybe be used by ourselves BCCC on the Saturday. Again, let us know if of interest.
In previous years the display cars were admitted FoC but I think this year there may be a small entry charge for club stands – understandable considering the loss of revenue over last couple of years.
We will of course be organising our annual car show in High Barnet around June time (possibly Jubilee Weekend) but dates yet to be confirmed. There have been some changes at NCP so use of the top deck of the car park may be in doubt, however we will be negotiating with them to confirm.
Another option might be the disused old market site, if we can trace the new owners and get permission.
We will also be speaking to the Army Centre on St Albans Rd to find out if they are going to have the British Army Open Day and if they would consider accommodating us for the annual show. We had a very successful and enjoyable show there some 4 years ago. The site is perfect as it is huge and could hold any number of vehicles as well as the army displays so would be a great option…
Finally as a BCCC club event we would like to book space at East Barnet Oakhill Park festival which is going ahead this year 1st – 3rd July.
For those who have never been this is a great local event with many entertainment tents, stalls, a couple of music stages and a funfair. The car show has grown over the past few years from the 10 -12 cars when I first attended to well over a hundred at last show and growing! The cars are split in category’s over two days so that all types have the opportunity to show from classics as we know then to modern classics, hot rods, and “pimped” rides! Make no mistake these are fantastic and the skills and work to create the unique cars is very impressive so well worth viewing, it is just great to see the enthusiastic owners and to chat to them.
This Sunday 6th Feb there is an Autojumble at Whitewebbs Museum which is well worth going to if you need to find that last part for your restorations or just like a good rummage around!

Below are some dates for events for 2022 :
Tewin Show – 21st August
Harpenden Classics on the Common -27th July
Enfield Pageant – 28/29th May
East Barnet festival 1/3rd July
Glastonbury Festival of Music and Arts 21-27th June

There are other local regular events however no dates released as yet.
As a note and partly due to due to the changes in the way we handle money / purchases these days a lot of events are now moving to pre booked tickets, this makes their charitable collections easier and with the increase in numbers attending shows makes for easier traffic management on the day… good old cash sometimes is not king!!
Finally to close I would like to ask if any other members would consider joining the “committee” to help out / proffer ideas with any organising or planning that we may conjur up! We need some diversity in the cabinet!! Also volunteering to help out occasionally with organising events etc etc. Nothing to onerous just a bit of time and effort needed now and again. It really makes a massive difference with more willing help at hand. Think about it you know it makes sense
Best Wishes.
James Beeton

Members who have already subscribed to the new ‘groups.io’ platform that Howard has introduced will know just what a flexible and versatile system this is. It is where the future of the club lies and will become the only channel of communication that we will continue to use We hope that you will want to continue as a member of the club which is easily done by emailing Howard using the address below to confirm this.
Howard Pryor: howard.pryor@icloud.com

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DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

XMAS MEETING SATURDAY 11th December 2021

Hi All,

A quick reminder to all we plan to meet up for our traditional pre Xmas get together at the Duke of York Pub on Saturday 11th December from 2pm till approx. 4pm. I know at this time of year a lot of our precious cars are deep into hibernation so there is no requirement to wake em up and drag them along!! So please just come along with or without for a social drink and a chat. This is aa ideal opportunity to proffer ideas for events/ attendances, shows etc the coming year.

Hopefully more of our favourite events will be able to take place in 2021 and as we now have an easier forum to pass on info then attending as a car club at some will be a lot easier to arrange… . As Derrick Haggerty has already advised we have been asked if we can display a small number of cars at the Barnet Xmas Fair on 5th December. This is the first time we have done this so again another opportunity to get involved with local events… .
To save owners having to remain with the vehicles for the whole period we are arranging a rota of “guards” to spend maybe an hour or so just ensuring the vehicles are safe , so if you are willing to help let Derrick know, as he may still need some volunteers…

Look forward to meeting on Saturday 11th .

Regards

James Beeton


PLEASE NOTE: Members who have already subscribed to the new ‘groups.io’ platform that Howard has introduced will know just what a flexible and versatile system this is. It is where the future of the club lies and will become the only channel of communication that we will continue to use We hope that you will want to continue as a member of the club which is easily done by emailing Howard
using the address below to confirm this.
Howard Pryor: howard.pryor@icloud.com

_________________________________________________

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

CLUB MEETING SATURDAY 30th October 2021

Hi All, just catching up,
A quick update on our meeting on Saturday 30th Oct.
The day started a bit wet and was looking not good, but by mid-day it was perfect for the planned afternoon meet up.
We had a good turn out for the afternoon and plenty of great cars to drool over! So thanks to all who came along.
The Library area at the Dof Y was kept clear for us although with such fine weather this was hardly used.
Below are some great photos taken on the day by Tom Skinner have a look –

FUTURE MEETINGS
Members who have already subscribed to the new ‘groups.io’ platform that Howard has introduced will know just what a flexible and versatile system this is. It is where the future of the club lies and will become the only channel of communication that we will continue to use We hope that you will want to continue as a member of the club which is easily done by emailing Howard using the address below to confirm this.
Howard Pryor: howard.pryor@icloud.com
07956 544 168
Paul Johnson has kindly organised a Xmas Lunch at the Duke of York on 4th December, so if you want to come along please contact him as soon as possible so a suitable area can be reserved.
Best Wishes James Beeton……

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OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

NEXT CLUB MEETING SATURDAY 30th OCTOBER 2021

To keep the club active I would like to suggest we try for another meeting before the Xmas meeting , this gathering is proposed for the The Duke of York EN5 4SG from 2pm to 4pm ish. I have spoken to the Pub and they will consider reserving the library area if they are not busy.

BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW SUNDAY 26th SEPTEMBER 2021
Firstly A big thank you to all who allowed Martyn Gerrard to put signs up, a shame they were missing the all-important event details but that’s another story! Also it goes without saying a massive thanks you to all who turned up on the day to display their treasured cars. We had circa 60 cars attending with a range spanning over 90 years of motoring.
This annual show takes some long term organising and negotiating with both the Spires and NCP and so it is thanks to Chris and Diane’s endeavours again that we managed to get the go ahead to use the upper deck of the NCP Car Park. This space proved ideal on the day. Sadly we could not organise a local mustering point as previous years so that we could set off in a parade for arrival via the High St, although a large number did do the run along the High St following Chris pre show email. Next year we will have something in place.
On to the show. This proved to be a huge success and, coupled with the excellent weather ( pre-arranged 😊) attracted a lot of visitors to enjoy the display and chat with owners about their cars. The live band fronted by Katie Oldham/ Down to Earth who have supported our event for a number of years were as usual excellent and played some great tunes beautifully on the day , so a musical treat was also enjoyed by all. Down at street level the New Barnet local micro Brewery – Urban Alchemy -were trading their wares from the bandstand as were a number of local independent street food vendors so excellent food and drinks were at hand!
The hosts – NCP were very happy with arrangements and the smooth running of the event as it did not cause them any issues, again this is down to the hard working and carefully briefed volunteer Marshalls on the day so a thanks to all who assisted here.
Below are some photos to give a feel for the event……..

This is a brief reminder of our next gathering which will be at The Crooked Billet Pub in Colney Heath from 3 to 5pm. The pub has the postcode AL4 0NP and phone number 01727 822 128. Detailed information of one route to the pub from Barnet can be found in the June 2021 newsletter No.2 and this is accessible on the club’s website:   barnetclassiccar.club 

FUTURE MEETINGS
Members who have already subscribed to the new ‘groups.io’ platform that Howard has introduced will know just what a flexible and versatile system this is. It is where the future of the club lies and will become the only channel of communication that we will use after the classic car show of the 26th September 2021. We so hope that you will want to continue as a member of the club which is easily done by emailing Howard using the address below to confirm this.
Howard Pryor: howard.pryor@icloud.com 07956 544 168
We will have our usual pre Xmas get together in Mid December at the Duke of York date TBA
Looking forward into 2022 we are planning to meet up more regularly- with or without our classics- but just for a quiet drink and a chat , this will enable me at least to remember names !
We are also looking at organising a “treasure Hunt” run out in mid Spring which may well be a circular route probably starting at the Dof Y and ending there, but all details will be forwarded once we get the plans in place.
The Annual Car show will move back to its May / Early June slot for 2022 with venue more than likely to remain as this year on the NCP carpark top deck.
It would be great if we could get a high street closure for a show ( as happens at Xmas) however nothing comes for free and costs would be prohibitive, so this will remain as a dormant seed for the moment.

OTHER NEWS
We are considering whether we should purchase a Club Feather Flag “ for placing when we attend shows in groups or host an event , costs are being sought however as always this will need to be funded somehow and we need to come up with a cunning plan if decision to go ahead! it wont be a lot but would be a useful sign to have.
We are also looking at printing off some screen stickers displaying the BCCC details and again more news on this when we know.
Finally as Owen has now relinquished his Newsletter duties and handed over the golden pen to myself, I would just like to say thank you from myself ,and I am sure all of the club members , for the news letters duly written and sent out over the years. I have always enjoyed reading these and they have been the glue that has kept the club very much alive.
I have no intention of trying to match these – how could I! but let’s see where we go..…
Best Wishes, James Beeton………..

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NEXT CLUB MEETING    SATURDAY 4^th SEPTEMBER 2021

This will be the last meeting of the year at our favourite country pub where Wally, the staff and local customers have always made us welcome, come rain, come shine.  It is always good to see families and friends at our meetings, with or without a classic car or motorbike. There is a play area for children in the garden.

BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW SUNDAY 26^th SEPTEMBER 2021 10.30am to 2.00pm

Chris and Diane are very grateful to the members who volunteered to have an agent’s board in the front of their properties advertising the show. They were put in place about a week ago but made no mention of when or where the show would be held. Happily, Chris had prepared an attractive poster with all the details of the show and these were printed out on A5 paper, put inside a waterproof plastic envelope and then stapled to the board’s wooden post. These gave more information to any interested passer-by than the board alone would have done.

Detailed arrangements for the show will be sent to the participating members during the week beginning Monday 13^th September. There is still time to let Chris know that you would like to be part of this event. It is always appreciated by the local folk and those who come to the town to see the High Street parade, look at the parked cars in the Spires and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Chris would appreciate a few more pre-WW2 cars. They are especially admired by the younger visitors as well as the older generations. Please let Chris know if you would like to be part of this special day for our town at:   cdnightingale@aol.com

FUTURE MEETINGS

Members who have already subscribed to the new ‘groups.io’ platform that Howard has introduced will know just what a flexible and versatile system this is. It is where the future of the club lies and will become the only channel of communication that we will use after the classic car show of the 26^th September 2021. We so hope that you will want to continue as a member of the club which is easily done by emailing Howard using the address below to confirm this.

Howard Pryor:    howard.pryor@icloud.com 07 956 544 168

Owen Jones:        owen.jones25@btinternet.com 020 8440 7550

                                                                             30 August 2021.

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Mike Jordan’s 1934 MG J2 with its 850 cc engine has an enduring, quintessentially British, charm. It was very good to see a number of members braving the threat of more heavy rain and we are indebted to Wally, the landlord, who unlocked the gate to the paddock, so avoiding crowding in the pub car park.

Barnet Classic Car Show Sunday 26th September

Chris would be grateful if at least 2 more members could offer to have the estate agents’ publicity boards in the front of their properties from about the end of this month until a few days after the show itself. This will bring the total on display to 20, a number that should make the agent’s investment in producing the boards worthwhile. Chris has to hand in the addresses of these properties to the agent next week so a prompt reply to the email address below would be much appreciated.
Members who have used the Spires top floor car park will know that it is a large area. Hopefully, our holiday plans will not be thwarted in any way but, if for any reason, you do find yourself free to be part of this most enjoyable few hours from 10.30 am to 2.00 pm, please let Chris know at: cdnightingale@aol.com

The parade of cars along the High Street followed by the display in the Spires is sure to be appreciated by the local folk as it has been at each show in the past. More information about the show and the estate agent’s boards are in the ‘Reminder’ and previous newsletters, following this report on the July meeting.

Herb Riches

Some very good news is that Herb, who came along to our meeting last Saturday at the Crooked Billet and the next day tested positive for Coronavirus, is making good progress after being very unwell initially. We wish Herb a speedy, full recovery.

Next Meeting

THIS WILL BE AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB IN COLNEY HEATH ON SATURDAY
4th SEPTEMBER 2021 FROM 3.00pm to 5.00pm.

Details of how to travel to the pub from Barnet can be found in the last July 2021 newsletter on the club’s website: barnetclassiccar.club

FUTURE NEWSLETTERS (Message from Howard)

“Fantastic news – One Week after launching our new contact platform at groups.io which, by the way, is fully GDPR compliant, we now have 47 members registered. To allow us time to gain confidence in this new system, the next 2 newsletters will be sent out both to those on the original group email list and those on the new groups.io subscribers’ list. If you want to leave it a little longer before deciding whether to join, you can continue to follow the BCCC for a period as the newsletters will be available on the Club’s website: www.barnetclassiccar.club. However, this will rely on you remembering to check the website frequently and you will miss the other info. If you are on Owen’s list you probably have already been sent an invitation to join this new group but may have thought it spam but I can assure you it is not, it is our future As we get used to the system we will be able to contact you , you will be able to us and contact anybody in fact who is on the system and the best of it is , it is absolutely free You will in the future be able to place perhaps items for sale , pictures , items you need , where to go for a service for the car, an MOT perhaps or even to post that you are attending a car show that may be of interest to others. The sky is the limit , if you are still unsure please contact me at howard.pryor@icloud.com or phone 07956 544168 for more information or a further invitation to join the group.
From here it is entirely up to you. If you choose not to subscribe then you will receive no further information, but if you do subscribe and then decide you do not wish to continue to be a part of the Barnet Classic Car Club then within each and every email generated by groups.io is the very simple ability to leave the group at the push of a button.
~Also by going into the settings within the groups.io each member has the choice to receive emails as they are posted or they can be collected once per day and sent , grouped together and sent etc , etc. Please stay with us, we have a future.“

_____________________

Owen Jones email: owen.jones25@btinternet.com
Phone: 020 8440 7550. 8th August

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FOLLOWING ON FROM JULY NEWSLETTER

REMINDER OF CLUB MEETING 3pm to 5pm SATURDAY 31^st JULY 2021

We are heading for The Crooked Billet Pub in Colney Heath, as usual. All the details are in the previous 2 newsletters which may be found on our wonderful website:    barnetclassiccar.club        

This is the meeting that was postponed from Saturday 24^th July. The weather was nowhere near as bad as predicted by the forecasters but there was some rain and the prospect of more to come. The forecast for next Saturday is vastly better so let us hope they are right this time.

Since 19^th July, the pub has been operating very much as ‘normal’. This means that there is the familiar service where we order and pay for the drinks at the bar and wait for them to be served to us. Entry to the pub is by either door and the same for exiting. Face masks are optional and, at present, are worn by a minority, if any, of the customers. The pub seems to have relatively few customers at lunch-times and nobody was wearing a mask when I was there this Tuesday the 27^th from about 12.30pm to 1.15pm. Hopefully, there will be many more people there this coming Saturday afternoon, 31^st, and members may well prefer to wear masks inside the pub.

BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW   SUNDAY 26^th SEPTEMBER 2021

We are looking forward to our show going forward in the same unrestricted way it did in 2019 so that it will again be a most enjoyable time for ourselves, the band that performs at the display and all those who watch the High Street Parade and come along to the display on the top floor of the Spires car park.

Chris and Diane will welcome any more members who are now able to commit themselves to being part of this show. The details of the event can be found on the club website:    barnetclassiccar.club

 in the July newsletter and previous newsletters.  Just let Chris know with details of your car and a phone contact number in case the British weather has the last word that morning, although we so hope it will not, at     cdnightingale@aol.com

ESTATE AGENT’S PUBLICITY BOARDS

As we know, these are a highly effective way of publicising a local event such as a School Fete or a Church Fair and are guaranteed to attract readers. Chris has arranged with Martyn Gerrard, a local estate agent, to produce some of these boards to be positioned in the front of members’ properties. Again, details of what this will involve are in the July newsletter. Please let Chris know if you are able to have one of these boards for about 5 weeks this September at cdnightingale@aol.com

 CLUB ORGANISER

The very best item of news that we have had for a long while is that Howard Pryor has given a great deal of his time to sorting out a new base for our newsletters, emails and correspondence between members of the club. He has enrolled us into an established organisation called ‘groups.io’ and prepared a new list of members that can easily be modified as new members come along or move away. Howard will explain this flexible and efficient system to the members in a group email very soon. Members will recall how Howard has organised our displays at the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre Open Days which involved liaising with the managers of the Centre and explaining the arrangements to ourselves. James Beeton has generously agreed to support Howard with this development, although James has a demanding day job.

Chris Nightingale is willing to continue maintaining our website, which he himself designed and built, as well as organising our classic car show on Sunday 26^th September. We are very grateful to Chris as these are both time-consuming tasks.

We do need someone to prepare and send out our newsletters. These do not have to feature any photographs initially, with their most important function being to let members know the dates and venues of forthcoming meetings. Howard may well be repeating this message in his group email.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            28^th July 2021

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JULY 2021 NEWSLETTER

This is a brief reminder that our next meeting will be at:

THE CROOKED BILLET PUB IN COLNEY HEATH ON SATURDAY 24^th JULY 2021 FROM 3.00pm to 5.00pm. [POSTPONED TO 31/07/21 DUE TO BAD WEATHER]

 The pub has the postcode AL4 0NP with more details in the previous newsletter of 29^th June 2021. Thanks to Chris Nightingale, all our recent newsletters are on the club’s website:

                                       barnetclassiccar.club   

These are worrying times, with infections from the Delta variant rising at an alarming rate. We know that the remaining mandatory Covid restrictions will be lifted on Monday 19^th July. Wally, the landlord of the Crooked Billet, is anxious that customers will continue to wear face masks while in the pub ordering drinks and to be aware of other customer’s spaces, both inside and outside the pub. This is simply to reassure members that there will be no significant changes at the pub after 19^th July.

Barnet Classic Car Show   Sunday 26^th September 2021     10.30am to 2.00pm

This has always proved to be a most pleasant few hours, both for ourselves and the many people who watch the cars drive along the High Street then come along to the Spires car park to have a closer look at the classic vehicles on display. A number of activities will be going on in the Spires during this time, including live music and dancing and, hopefully, a refreshments stall. The local family who ran the refreshment stall at the show in recent years are not able to do the same this year. If you know of any local people who would be happy to do this on 26^th September, with the proceeds going to charity, then please let Chris know at the email address below.  The May newsletters have full details of the show and can be accessed on our website.

 Chris and Diane Nightingale are very grateful to all the members and supporters who have already agreed to be part of the show. The top floor of the Spires car park has the capacity to hold a large number of cars so if you have recently found yourself free for the three and a half hours that Sunday then please come along on the day. Let Chris know that you will be there with an email to:

                                     cdnightingale@aol.com

Publicising the Classic Car Show

We are familiar with the estate agent’s boards positioned by the boundary fences in local front gardens and driveways. Most of us feel compelled to have a closer look and see if the property is up for sale or rent or if it is advertising a school fete or similar activity. Chris has negotiated with local estate agents Martyn Gerrard for them to advertise our show on their boards, as has happened several times in previous years.

Chris will be very grateful if members who have suitable frontages to their properties would agree to these boards being positioned near to the road for about 4 weeks before the show on 26^th September. In past years, the boards have been fastened to separate posts secured in the garden by the agents so no damage was done to boundary fences or similar. The agents have taken the boards down within a week after the show date.

Please let Chris know if you are able to display a board for a total of about 5 weeks at the above email address.

Answer to Quiz Question

There are at least 2 totally reasonable answers to the quiz question in the last newsletter. This was to identify the origin of the section of the piston which Derrick Haggerty kindly brought along to the last meeting at The Crooked Billet on Saturday 29^th May:

One is that it is from the 24litre W12 Napier Lion engine (W as it had 3 banks of 4 cylinders) that powered Sir John Cobb’s Railton Napier racing car that set the lap record for the Brooklands circuit in 1935 of 143.44mph. This was suggested by a friend who lives in Carlisle and likes to read the newsletters, having once lived in Barnet, and appreciates classic cars and motorbikes.

The other is that it is from a 27litre V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine that powered a large number of the Supermarine Spitfires in the Second World War.

For a newsletter of a classic car club, the better answer of these 2 possibilities has to be the Napier Lion and anyone coming up with this engine must have full marks. Shamefully, I was unaware of the specifications of this engine and would have awarded an unchallenged top grade to the Merlin engine. Many thanks to our reader in Carlisle, who has saved me from total humiliation, as the piston was from such a Merlin engine.

The Role of the Club Organiser

I have been privileged to be the Club Organiser since its inception in June 2014. Prior to the arrival of Covid, we kept to a simple format of 3 or 4 meetings in the summer at the Crooked Billet pub in Colney Heath and 2 meetings in the winter at the Duke of York Pub/Restaurant in Potters Bar.

Members have been hugely supportive in sending in photos from the meetings, details of their cars if it was to be featured, and information about classic car activities in the area. We do not have a clubhouse where we can display any information and so the newsletters are the vital channel of communication for the club. The Organiser has to arrange the 5 or 6 meetings each year with the 2 pubs, set out the details in the newsletters and pass on whatever arrangements have been made for our classic car show and the RSPCA Open Day. It is helpful if the Organiser can process any photos and insert them in the newsletters but they are far from essential.

 Having details of future meetings listed is all that really matters.

I am a very fortunate 84 year’s old but have inevitably acquired some recent health issues that are making it difficult for me to continue as Organiser. If any member, maybe jointly with a friend, feels that they would like to take over this not-too-demanding role please let me know. If it would help, we can discuss any aspects of the job that may appear to be a problem. The new Organiser/s will find a great fund of goodwill from the members that will make the task an enjoyable and satisfying one.

With very best wishes to all our members, their families and friends.

 Owen Jones    29 Sutton Crescent Barnet Herts EN5 2SW        020 8440 7550                17^th July 2021.

Mobile:  07 903 277 485.

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JUNE 2021 NEWSLETTER   No. 2

 OUR NEXT MEETING AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB COLNEY HEATH WILL BE ON:

 SATURDAY 24^th JULY 2021  3 to 5 pm

For any new members, a route to the pub from the M 25 is to leave the motorway at J22 then follow the signs on the 2 adjacent roundabouts for Colney Heath. After about a mile along Coursers Lane, turn left at the first roundabout in the village with the now defunct Cock pub on the right. After about one third of a mile, the Crooked Billet is on the right with the entrance to the car park on the far side of the pub, as shown in the above photograph. The pub’s postcode is AL4 0NP.

Let’s hope that we will be lucky with the weather, as we were for our last meeting there on 29^th May. The Crooked Billet is an unspoilt, typical country pub where Wally, the landlord, and Sandra, who serves out the drinks, extend a warm welcome to the customers. Please come along with the family to this peaceful place where the children can enjoy the play area in the garden.

CLUB MEETING 29^th MAY 2021

The photo shows the car park with some free space down the middle. Later, this was filled with mostly classic cars and we hope that no regulars missed out on their Saturday afternoon pint as a result. The nearest car in the middle row is Peter Kelly’s hand-built special while on the right by the fence is Tom Skinner’s very impressive Ferrari.

With remarkable skill, Peter constructed the wooden body of this unique car, starting with a 1988 Citroen 2CV6 which has a 602cc engine developing 29 bhp. It rightly attracts admirers wherever it is parked.

Photo courtesy Tom Skinner

Tom’s 1996 Ferrari has a 5.5 litre V12 engine which develops 478 bhp at 7000rpm. It is credited with a top speed of 199mph and a 0 to 62 mph time of 4.4 secs.

Photo courtesy Philip Lewis

Here is Daryl Miller’s 70 year’s old charming Sunbeam Talbot waiting in a leafy corner of the car park to take him home in a few hours’ time. The Clement-Talbot company first produced Talbot cars in Ladbroke Grove in North Kensington in 1902 until in 1938 the 2 Rootes brothers, who were initially distributors of cars but bought the Sunbeam company in 1934, acquired Clement Talbot in 1935 and then established the Sunbeam Talbot model with production continuing in North Kensington. It is worth looking at the Wikipedia pages on the history of the Clement-Talbot company. In 1946, this factory was closed and the business moved to Rootes new production facility at Ryton in Warwickshire.

Photo courtesy Philip Lewis

Parked up on the entrance to the car park is no place for Andy Sargent’s pristine 1974 TR6. Unfortunately, the large car park was completely full in the later afternoon. It was very good of members who had to park near the entrance in the middle of the car park to leave very promptly at 5pm so that others who needed to be away about that time were not delayed.

This meeting was our first since 1^st August last year and we had a perfect day with nice blue skies, as some of the photos show. It is difficult to say this, but perhaps we should not actively look out for any more members until after our next meeting on the 24^th of July when we should have a better idea of the number of cars that may come along in the future.

THE BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW    SUNDAY 26^th SEPTEMBER   10.30 am to 2.00pm

We are presently reminded by the rise in Covid infections in the country that nothing is certain with our planned activities in the coming months. Chris and Diane Nightingale are grateful to the large number of members who have committed to supporting the one event that we will put on in Barnet this year so that they could confidently plan for that day well in advance.

If any new members would like to be part of this most enjoyable few hours, or any established members who now find themselves free to come along, please let Chris know at:     cdnightingale@aol.com  

Details of the show can be found in the May 2021 newsletter which is accessible on the club’s website:   barnetclassiccar.club 

QUIZ QUESTION

Derrick Haggerty, whose 1955 Ford Popular is in the background, brought this section of a piston to the meeting. It was once part of an engine in which one cylinder had almost twice the 1172 ccs capacity of the Ford Popular engine and there were 12 of them. No more clues, no prizes and the answer to the question ‘What engine did this piston come from?’ will be in the next newsletter.

HARPENDEN CLASSICS ON THE COMMON WEDNESDAY 22^nd SEPTEMBER 2021

Emile Connor has kindly forwarded the invitation letter and application form for this very popular event and they are attached to the message. Details of the day are on the event website.

Emile has also recommended the meetings at the Ace Café on the North Circular Road with all the information available on their website.

LAPEL BADGES FOR MEMBERS

A few years ago, some members suggested that it would be helpful at our relatively infrequent meetings if members were to have lapel badges identifying themselves and their cars or motorbikes. With Clare O’Sullivan’s considerable help, a number of blank badges were printed out, holders obtained and some given out. I fear that I have been remiss in not distributing these at recent meetings and will try harder in the future.

AUTUMN MEETING OF THE CLUB

We are on course to have another meeting at The Crooked Billet pub on Saturday 4^th September 2021 with details to follow in a later newsletter.

I wish our members, their families and friends good health in the days to come and very much look forward to meeting you on the 24^th July, the 4^th September and the 26^th September.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            27^th June 2021.

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JUNE 2021 NEWSLETTER NO. 1

The main purpose of this very brief newsletter is to let members know the dates of our next 2 meetings at The Crooked Billet:

                                 SATURDAY 24^th JULY 2021   3.00pm to 5.00pm

                                 SATURDAY 4^th SEPTEMBER  2021   3.00pm to 5.00pm.

Details of both meetings will be sent out about a week beforehand.

   CLUB MEETING AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB SATURDAY 29^th MAY 2021

Photo courtesy Philip Lewis

Here is the 106 year’s old Calcott which Ken Goddard has spent the last few years restoring and what a fine job he has made of it.

This was our first meeting since 1^st August 2020 and we were blessed with a perfect day; blue skies, a little cloud and a comfortable temperature. Wally and Sandra provided the familiar warm welcome with Sandra steadily serving out the drinks all afternoon. For the first time at the Crooked Billet the car park was full of classic cars and those of the local customers. Some members have sent me in a number of high-quality photos which will be in subsequent newsletters.

For any newer members, please keep Sunday 26^th September 2021 free in your diaries for our own show. We will put on a display in the High Barnet Spires car park after a parade of the cars along the High Street with details in recent newsletters on our website:       barnetclassiccar.club  

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550Mob: 07 903 277 485                    1^st June 2021.       

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MAY 2021 NEWSLETTER

   Here is a brief reminder that the date for our next meeting at The Crooked Billet is:

                SATURDAY 29^th MAY 2021 3 to 5 pm.

   There will be more details in a newsletter nearer the end of this month but, for new members wishing to check the location of the pub, just Googling ‘The Crooked Billet, Colney Heath’ will bring up a link to their website. It has the postcode AL4 0NP.

  It will be so good to see members and their cars again after the last meeting on 1^st August 2020. It is especially pleasant if partners, friends and younger family members come along. There is a well-equipped play area for children and ample seating in the garden next to the car park.

Barnet Classic Car Show   Sunday 26^th September 2021

Chris and Diane Nightingale are very grateful to the members who have already committed themselves to coming along to this special annual event for the Club and the local townsfolk. The show is well-advertised in the area and the parade of cars along the High Street attracts large numbers of spectators. This encourages the people in the High Street to then come along to the Spires car park, see the cars and motorbikes for themselves and meet the owners.

It has always been a most enjoyable few hours for the members with time to look at the dancing and music groups that are usually performing in the Spires complex. The half hour or so in the Barnet Playing Fields car park from 10.30am to 11.00am is a good time for us to meet up before setting off for the Spires car park via Barnet Hill and the High Street and then returning home at 2.0pm.  Please support this worthwhile event. If you have not yet let Chris or myself know that you can come along then kindly contact us at:        

         Chris Nightingale        cdnightingale@aol.com                    or                 Owen Jones          owen.jones25@btinternet.com   

We hardly dare mention the words British weather or, hopefully not, Covid, but this horrible virus or a forecast of heavy rain on the day could have the final say. We ask members to kindly let us have their mobile/landline numbers in case of a last-minute postponement or cancellation of the Show. If you gave us your phone number prior to the 2019 Show then we will have that recorded.

Members’ Cars

I am very grateful to members who have sent me photos of their cars over this period of lockdown when we have not been able to hold any meetings with all the photos they provided for the newsletters. Kevin Stewart has kindly sent me some photos of his fine 1965 Mk 2 Jaguar which is fitted with a 4litre, straight 6 X300 engine, automatic gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and heated, electrically adjustable seats.

The Jaguar was fully restored some time ago by J D Classics for the then owner of the company, Derek Hood. As can be seen from the photos and Kevin’s evident satisfaction with the car, they made a very good job of the work.

Philip Lewis’s 2020/1 Morgan Roadster

Philip has recently acquired this stunning, 3.7 litre V6 Morgan Roadster with the photo showing the newly-delivered car before it was registered under Philip’s ownership.

We have been fortunate to admire Paul and Tamsin’s earlier Morgan Plus Four at recent Barnet Classic Car Shows and be reminded that the overall styling of this iconic model has not changed fundamentally since its launch in 1950. Henry Morgan founded his company in 1910 in a workshop in Malvern and these unique, hand-built cars have been prized possessions for more than 110 years.

The term ‘Classic’ applied to cars often suggests a model no longer in production, maybe at least 15 or 20 years old or with few examples still on the road. This new Morgan Roadster is a car to be treasured right now as a fine example of British engineering.

Emile Conor’s 1967 420 Jaguar

A great car photographed on the historic racing car circuit of Brooklands.

These are days of hope. I wish members, their families and friends happy and healthy times for the rest of 2021.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            7th May 2021

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MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER, No.2

CHRIS NIGHTINGALE HAS ARRANGED WITH THE MANAGERS OF THE NATIONAL CAR PARKS AND THE SPIRES SHOPPING CENTRE THAT THE 2021 BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW WILL BE HELD ON

 SUNDAY 26^th SEPTEMBER

AS MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER OF 4^th MARCH, THE PLAN IS TO MEET IN THE BARNET PLAYING FIELDS CAR PARK BY 10.30am, DRIVE UP BARNET HILL AND ALONG THE HIGH STREET, STARTING AT 11.00am, AND TO THEN PARK ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE SPIRES CAR PARK FOR A PUBLIC DISPLAY UNTI 2.00pm.

    We are very grateful to Chris for all the time he has given to negotiating with the Spires and the NCP so that we have this date agreed with all parties involved.

  Waiting is rarely easy, as Gary Lane’s faithful friend demonstrated at the classic car show in 2019.

(Photo courtesy Jayne Evans)

  However, we shall meet again, hopefully as we did in 2019 in the Barnet playing fields car park before the drive to the Spires.             

(Photo courtesy Jayne Evans)

                Our next club meeting is planned for Saturday 29^th May at the Crooked Billet Pub in Colney Heath from 3 to 5pm with details to follow.

     Emile Connor’s 1967 420 Jaguar

The first newsletter this month has a photo of this handsome car as a side view while the photo in the February newsletter has a quarter front view. Emile has kindly provided a detailed description of the restoration work on the Jaguar and some photos taken in the workshop where the tasks were carried out. The car has a 4.2 litre straight six engine, 4 speed manual O/D gearbox with independent rear suspension and power steering.

Emile bought the 420 in 1994 with the shell, mechanical parts and the interior in separate packages. Originally, it was Balmoral green with biscuit colour seats but it was resprayed British racing green and now has light green leather seats and interior.

The above photo gives some idea of the amount of work carried out on the lower sections of the car. The subframes, differential, driveshaft, front and rear suspensions and exhaust have all been dismantled and refurbished, the suspension being refitted with polythene bushes. At the same time, the fuel and brake pipes were renewed while the brake callipers now have stainless steel pistons. 2 years ago, a new radiator was fitted along with the expansion tank and water hoses. About four and a half years ago the car was repainted while further improvements at that time included new tubeless wire wheels with the rear wheels being slightly larger at 6.5 inches, the front wheels being the standard 5 inches.

Above is a selection of the parts from the rear suspension awaiting reassembly.

This photo shows the 2 upper wishbone arms, the spring pans, shock absorbers and steering gear from the front suspension.

   Here is the front sub-frame having been cleaned and painted, as have the parts laid out on the work benches.

The above photo shows just how shiny and fresh the sub-frame now is after the refurbishment.

Two suspension parts being sprayed in a booth with a floor fume extraction system.

Finally, the reassembled Jaguar next to another example of high-quality engineering.

MANY thanks, again, to Emile for sorting out these photos and text for this newsletter.

CLASSIC CAR EVENTS FOR 2021

One item of good news is that the Museum of Transport in Enfield is in talks with the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre in Southridge to consider holding a classic car event in the Centre’s grounds this September. Howard Pryor is a member of the committee of the Museum and also has strong links to the Rescue Centre.  He was involved in the organisation of the Centre’s Fun Day of 2019 which was in the form of an open day and proved to be very successful as a fund-raiser for this charity. Howard arranged a classic car display at that show which had a good number of members taking part. Let us hope that it will be possible for the Centre and the Museum to arrange an event this year.

Unfortunately, the Enfield Pageant of Motoring, usually held over the May Bank Holiday at the end of the month, will not go ahead this year.

A few classic car shows have been planned for this year and I am very grateful to Howard Pryor for sending me the links to 2 of them. Just Googling the names will bring up all the necessary details:

 Wednesday 7^th July   Classics in the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo.

Wednesday 28^th July   Classics on the Common at Harpenden

OUR VERY OWN WEBSITE

This can be visited at:     barnetclassiccar.club    and we are grateful to Chris Nightingale for setting this up and keeping it up-to-date.

I wish members, their families and friends good health in these times when we can see signs of better days to come.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW           Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                               30^th March 2021.

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MARCH 2021 NEWSLETTER, No.1

Hopefully, the photo will revive pleasant memories of Saturday 1^st August 2020 when we had our last meeting at The Crooked Billet. The ‘Open All Day’ notice really dates this photo. This was before the more stringent application of the Tier system to the St Albans area, followed by the national lockdown, snuffed out all hopes of another gathering for some time.

Well, we do have a provisional date for our next meeting at The Crooked Billet:

                SATURDAY 29^th MAY 2021 3 to 5 pm.

As we know all too well, the entry in our diaries must be made in pencil.  Julie has kindly agreed to have extra staff on that afternoon and we must hope for continuing success against the cursed virus with some blue skies and warm weather on the day. Details of the meeting will be in a newsletter nearer the time.

THE BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW

Chris and Diane Nightingale have 2 possible dates for our classic car show this year. They are Sunday 19^th and Sunday 26^th September. The hope is that the format will be very similar to our last show in 2019 with a gathering in the Barnet Playing Fields car park, a drive up Barnet Hill and along the High Street then a display on the top level of the Spires Car Park. This requires negotiation with the Spires management and the local authorities and so is a decidedly tentative plan at present.

ERRATUM

I regret to say that I am guilty of generating then distributing fake news in the February newsletter. I referred to Emile Connor’s Jaguar as a 1968 XJ model but Emile has had to point out that it is a 1967 420. The above photo shows a 1968 XJ.

Emile has very kindly sent me a number of photos illustrating some of the stages involved in restoring this fine car and they will appear in a newsletter very soon. Here, below, is another photo of the 420 which perfectly illustrates the typical, graceful Jaguar style.

Let us hope that the vaccine roll-out, the benefits of the lockdown and even the weather will result in our having the chance to meet up again in 3 months’ time.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            4^th March 2021

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FEBRUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

PHIL RYAN’S NEW JAGUAR XKR

We have become used to seeing Phil arriving at the club meetings in his pristine 1972 Triumph TR6 or on his classic Harley Davidson Dyna Glyde. Just to keep us on our toes, Phil has added to his stable this lovely 2003 XKR 4.2 litre Jaguar.

The V8 engine is fitted with an Eaton M112 supercharger and develops 400 bhp at 6100 rpm which gives it a top speed of 155mph and a 0-60mph time of 5.6seconds. This power is transmitted to the road wheels via a 6-speed automatic gearbox. It outperformed most similar cars at the time as the body was made of aluminium which gave it a body weight of 3826 lbs, significantly lower than the BMW M4 or the Mercedes C Class with their steel bodies.

Like pretty much all models in the Jaguar range, this one has no ‘bad side’. Its sleek lines are shown here in this three-quarters rear view.

EMILE CONNOR’S 1968 XJ

We are very fortunate to have 4 fine examples of the Jaguar range in the club as well as Phil’s XJS. Members may recall seeing Eric Tetsel’s iconic white XK 150, John Bishop’s sleek maroon E-type and Graham Paddon’s limited edition Silverstone at our meetings and shows.

Above is a photo of Emile Connor’s 1968 4.2litre XJ. It is fitted with a straight 6 engine and a Borg-Warner automatic gearbox. The 1968 XJ was the first in the long series of powerful luxury cars that Jaguar produced

 and was the only model to have had some input from Sir William Lyons, the founder of the Jaguar Motor Company.

Marco Fiori

The January newsletter referred to Marco as one of the originators and the current organiser of the very successful ‘Classics at the Villa’ classic car show in the grounds of the Villa Scalabrini Care Home in Shenley which provided invaluable income for the home. Sadly, Marco contracted the wretched virus last month. He was unable to fight it off and died soon afterwards. We hope his family and friends are comforted by the memory of this good, kind man.

Julie Kasprak

We have just received the very bad news that Julie, the wonderful landlady of the Crooked Billet Pub in Colney Heath where we have our summer meetings, is seriously unwell as a result of all the stresses of the past year and will be unable to return to work. Julie could not have made us more welcome at our meetings and it was Julie and her partner Wally who helped the club start up with our 2 initial meetings there in the autumn of 2014.

We just hope that the combined effects of the lockdown and the vaccination rollout will enable Wally to reopen the pub very soon so that they can again provide hospitality for the villagers, country walkers and classic car owners.

I wish our members, their families and friends good health in this time of hope. How pleasant it will be if we can meet up again and, maybe, have our own classic car show and support the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre Open Day sometime in 2021.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            27 February 2021

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JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

This photo of Paul Johnson’s 1970 MGC is on the Club website:   barnetclassiccar.club    in the ‘Members’ Cars’ section on 28^th April 2020. There is an interesting account of the history of the car, including some details of improvements that Paul has made since his ownership. It took Paul a year to find a suitable example of the MG, resulting in the purchase of this handsome vehicle in 2018. Two features of the MGC that distinguish it from the MGB are the more ‘bulbous’ bonnet to accommodate the repositioned radiator and ‘taller’ engine with the small ‘teardrop’ to allow for the forward carburettor. Both the radiator cap and the forward carburettor do look rather prominent in the above photo of the engine bay which Paul also kindly provided. Sadly for the MGC, with the MG company now part of the British Leyland empire, the board decided to end production of the MGC in 1969/70 in favour of the Triumph TR6, the latter continuing in production until 1976. Approximately 9000 MGCs were manufactured between 1967 and 1969, with some such as Paul’s vehicle being first registered in 1970.  About 1300 are still registered in the UK.

   The C series engine has a capacity of 2912 cc and is made entirely of cast iron. It developed 145 bhp at 5250 rpm, 50% more than the 1.8 litre B series, but it weighed 209 lbs more than the earlier engine. It gave the MGC a top speed of 120 mph and a 0-60mph time of 10s.

 In May of last year, Paul’s MG went to a specialised paint shop for some minor work then to his MG garage for a service. While on a test run after the completion of this work, the car was involved in a serious collision which badly damaged the front suspension, chassis, radiator, steering rack, front wing etc. After this traumatic event, Paul was without the MG until December of last year when all the repair work was finally completed. Paul has produced a detailed account of his involvement with classic cars, the purchase of the MGC and all the events that followed since then. This account will be sent out at the same time as this newsletter and some of it makes very painful reading for other classic car enthusiasts.

The major work that had to be done was a new front suspension, steering rack, radiator, oil cooler, king pins, a new wire wheel and tyre. The engine had to be lifted out to confirm the straightening of the chassis. This gave Paul the opportunity to arrange with MG Motorsport for the head to be gas-flowed with larger valves and now able to run on unleaded fuel. The flywheel was considerably lightened, a 6-branch exhaust system fitted and the clutch and race bearing renewed. Paul has noticed a real improvement in the performance after these changes which, hopefully, gives Paul some consolation for all the months of waiting since May last year.

The above photo shows the clean engine bay with the equally pristine engine and twin HS6 SU carburetters while, on the right, is the fully repaired and uprated MG taken last December. Paul must have wondered if that day would ever come but, there it is, and we wish Paul many years of trouble-free motoring in this increasingly rare British sports car. The precious vehicle is now in storage and may make its first public appearance this April.  

Events planned for 2021

We are, of course, hoping that Chris and Diane will be able to negotiate a date with the Spires management for for our own show this year on the top floor of their car park. Very early September is a possible time. Howard and Loretta Pryor are strong supporters of the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre at Southridge and we hope that they will be able to arrange another of our classic car displays as part of their Open Day, if the Centre is able to hold one this year. We look forward to Wally and Julie being able to open their doors again and, maybe, having another Crooked Billet Classic Car Show in the autumn.

We are grateful to Marco Fiori, one of the originators and present organisers of the annual ‘Classics at the Villa’ show in Shenley, for sending us the details of this event. The show is held in the extensive grounds of the Villa Scalabrini, a residential care home in the village. At the show there is an emphasis on Italian food as well as classic cars with the proceeds from the day going to support the care home. The best thing to do is Google ‘Classics at the Villa’ and go to their own website where there are 2 videos, the first made in 2017, which capture the atmosphere of the shows. Paul and Pina Griffin, who brought along their magnificent Bentley to our last 2 shows, feature in the 2017 video. In the 2018 video there is an interesting contribution by Roger Dudding, the owner of Studio 434 in Potters Bar. Following some friendly persuasion from Chris Nightingale, they have generously sent along one of their many classic cars to our shows. Marco is hoping that they will be able to hold their ‘Classics at the Villa’ show this year, but, like so many other planned events, probably in the autumn rather than in May as in previous years. All confirmed shows and meetings will be listed in the newsletter as promptly as possible.

I wish our members, their families and friends good health this year. I hope that we will be able to meet up with our cars and motorbikes on a warm day at The Crooked Billet Pub very soon.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                      29^th January 2021.

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DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

Father Christmas visits Wanstead

The photo shows Father Christmas setting out on one of the most exciting rides of his life on the back of Phil Ryan’s Harley Davidson in December 2017. A very short while later he was rocketing down Wanstead High Street throwing sweets to the local children. Phil’s Harley has an engine capacity of 1450ccs and develops 67 bhp at 5200 rpm.  Members may recall that Phil had previously travelled all the 2448 miles of Route 66 in the USA on his more powerful 1690ccs Harley Davidson Soft Tail.

Crooked Billet Pub Colney Heath

The addition to the Tier 2 rules that requires pubs to sell a ‘substantial’ meal to all customers who are having an alcoholic drink proved a step too far for Julie and Wally and they had to close. Many of their local customers have enjoyed a pint or two of their well-kept beer and then returned home. As of Saturday 19th December, this Hertfordshire pub will be in Tier 3 and so must remain closed. We hope that Wally, Julie and the staff will come through these awful times and we will meet them again in the Spring.

David Simpson

Many members will recall seeing and talking to David at our meetings over the past several years and admiring his perfectly-maintained black MG Midget. David was a quiet, charming man who showed his car at some of the National Classic Car meetings at Silverstone and Goodwood as well as our local gatherings. Sadly, after a short illness, David died on 2^nd December. Our thoughts are with his widow, Mavis, his son and all his family and friends at this difficult time.

The Past Year

2020 started well for us with the first meeting of the year on 29^th February as the early morning hail, rain and strong winds had gone by the afternoon and we were able to spend some time in the car park looking at a number of members’ classic cars. As we know, the situation changed steadily for the worse after that promising start. The virus tightened its grip and we had to cancel the planned meeting at The Crooked Billet Pub on the 18^th April followed by our Classic Car Show in the Spires Car Park on 17^th May. The latter was especially sad for Chris and Diane Nightingale as many lessons had been learned from the previous year when the show was held in the Spires Car Park for the first time.

Another heavy blow was that the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre Open Day at Southridge on the 6^th July could not go ahead. This is the major fund-raising day for this great charity and Howard and Lorretta Pryor have organised a classic car display as one of the attractions for the visitors for the past few years. For a relatively short while in the Summer the virus appeared to be on the retreat and we were able to have a club meeting at The Crooked Billet Pub on the 1^st August. The day was pleasantly warm and sunny which made for a most enjoyable gathering for the club members. My Morris Minor split a fuel pipe on the way to the meeting and I was fortunate to reach the pub without both car and driver being incinerated. Thanks to the great kindness of members who provided spare piping, skilled labour to fit the part and even a can of petrol to ensure I made it back home, no long-term damage was done. Howard Pryor then put together a feature for the next newsletter which stressed the importance of ensuring that fuel pipes are made of proper, high-grade material and also the use of premium grade fuel.

There was some hope that our classic car show could be held in the Spires Car Park on the 20^th September but, as we know, the incidence of virus cases rose steadily in the Autumn and so that, too, did not go ahead. Since that time, no meetings such as ours have been possible. However, thanks to some very clever people in different parts of the world, we now have the bright hope of effective vaccines to finally defeat this insidious virus, so we shall meet again in 2021.

The Club Website

In February of this year, Chris Nightingale offered to set up a club website for us. If ever an offer was made that really could not be refused, this was it. Chris had already constructed and was maintaining 3 websites for other organisations and we now have our very own one:      www.barnetclassiccar.club     It is so helpful to be able to easily access recent past newsletters and to direct any prospective members to its pages. We are very grateful to Chris for the time he has given to creating and running our website.

 I wish our members, their families and friends as happy a Christmas as possible and a safe and healthy New Year.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW             Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            18^th December 2020.

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NOVEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

It is a great relief for us to know that we may be able to meet up again fairly early next year when we trust that the Covid 19 virus will be on the retreat.

In the meantime, we hope that Julie and the staff at the Crooked Billet Pub will come safely through the present Lockdown and recover steadily in 2021.

CHRIS NIGHTINGALE’S NEW ERA MINI COOPER

Here is a photo of Chris’s Mini Cooper taken in September 2011. While it has become a familiar sight at our meetings, it is a unique and very distinctive version of the original Alex Issigonis design of the late fifties.

The New Era Mini was designed and made by Chris’s father, Ken, and the fascinating story behind the project is set out on the website:    www.neweramini.co.uk

Above is a photo of a New Era Mini with that of a Fiat Abarth positioned below it. Chris’s father was impressed with the Fiat’s design and wanted to incorporate the Fiat’s style into the New Era Mini as much as possible.

The website refers to a specialist Mini restoration firm in Hitchin where the owner, Chris Spennewyn, advised Chris against spraying with British Racing Green but, instead, suggested using the lighter Aston Martin Racing Green.  The photo shows POP at a preliminary stage of the respraying, some way from the topcoat in the first photo.

At one stage, Chris had to take on some local, unskilled, labour.

 This was for the task of positioning the engine mounting bolts in the brackets between the block and the bulkhead. The bolts were eventually located in the brackets and the reconditioned 997cc engine fitted securely in position.

It is worth noting that the garage in which this work was done was just large enough to fit the Mini in and allow an adult enough space to move round the car for the different jobs. It had no mains electricity so the lighting came solely from the car battery powering a 12V lamp suspended above the car.

Ken Nightingale fitted the distinctive wood and leather trim to the New Era Mini. The larger range of instruments than standard provided additional information about the performance of the Mini Cooper engine and reduced the likelihood of engine failure on a run.

The address of our website is:

                                                     www.barnetclassiccar.club   

I wish our members, their families and friends good health and spirits in these stressful days, even with the recent good news about the vaccine developments.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent  Barnet  Herts EN5 2SW    Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                            17 November 2020.

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OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

OUR TWO MEETING PLACES

THE PREVIOUS NEWSLETTER OF 13^th SEPTEMBER WAS A RATHER GLOOMY ONE WITH THE CANCELLATION OF OUR HOPED-FOR COMBINED AUTUMN CLASSIC CAR SHOW WITH THE CROOKED BILLET PUB AT COLNEY HEATH ON 26^th SEPTEMBER. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS SHOWED THAT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION AS THERE HAS BEEN NO LET-UP IN THE INCIDENCE OF THE CORONAVIRUS.

SOME EXCELLENT NEWS IS THAT THE CROOKED BILLET HAS STAYED OPEN AND CONTINUES TO OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF ALES AND WINES AND DELICIOUS LUNCH-TIME AND EVENING MEALS, INCLUDING HARD-TO-RESIST DESSERTS. AS ALWAYS, JULIE, WALLY AND CAROLINE EXTEND A WARM WELCOME TO THIS UNSPOILT COUNTRY PUB.  CHECK THE PUB WEBSITE BEFORE A VISIT IF YOU PLAN TO EAT THERE BY GOOGLING ‘THE CROOKED BILLET PUB COLNEY HEATH’.

 THE DUKE OF YORK PUB/RESTAURANT IN POTTERS BAR IS BUSY FROM LUNCH-TIMES ONWARDS. THEIR LARGE CAR PARK, PLEASANT INTERIOR AND WELCOMING STAFF SHOULD ENSURE ITS CONTINUING SUCCESS, VIRUS PERMITTING.

TWO DATES FOR OUR DIARIES

CHRIS AND DIANE NIGHTINGALE HAVE NEGOTIATED TWO POSSIBLE DATES FOR OUR CLASSIC CAR SHOW NEXT YEAR.

THEY ARE:

         SUNDAY 16^th MAY 2021           or            SUNDAY 23^rd MAY 2021

LET US TRAVEL HOPEFULLY. IT WILL BE SO CHEERING FOR OURSELVES AND THE LOCAL FOLK IF WE CAN BE, ONCE AGAIN, DRIVING ALONG BARNET HIGH STREET, THIS TIME HEADNG TOWARDS THE TOP FLOOR OF THE SPIRES CAR PARK FOR THE DISPLAY OF OUR CARS.

NEWS FROM DORSET

MANY MEMBERS WILL RECALL RICK MARTIN ARRIVING AT OUR MEETINGS IN HIS GREEN MGB, MOST MEMBORABLY WITH HIS FAITHFUL BLACK RETRIEVER, ARTHUR, SITTING QUIETLY IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. SADLY FOR US, RICK AND HIS PARTNER HAVE MOVED TO A VILLAGE IN DORSET. RICK HAS HAD TO SCRAP THE MG AS RUST HAD WEAKENED THE CHASSIS BEYOND ECONOMICAL REPAIR.

RICK HAS KINDLY SENT ME SOME PHOTOS OF HIS NEW CAR – A 1971 AUSTIN SPRITE. THE ‘HEALEY’ IN ITS NAME WAS DROPPED IN THIS FINAL YEAR OF PRODUCTION TO SAVE ON THE ROYALTIES THAT HAD TO BE PAID TO THE DONALD HEALEY MOTOR COMPANY FOR ITS USE.

Here is the engine bay of the Sprite with the twin SU Carburettors supplying the 1.3litre engine.

                                                                                                   3.

The interior is as immaculate as the rest of the car.

IN THE MEANTIME, I WISH MEMBERS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, GOOD HEALTH AND PERSEVERANCE IN THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES.

Owen Jones    29 Sutton Crescent Barnet Herts EN5 2SW        020 8440 7550                 18^th October 2020

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SEPTEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER

CANCELLATION OF 26^th SEPTEMBER 2020 MEETING AT CROOKED BILLET PUB COLNEY HEATH

SADLY, BUT INEVITABLY, WE HAVE HAD TO CANCEL THE PLANNED MEETING AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB ON 26^th SEPTEMBER.

THE LARGE RISE IN THE NUMBER OF COVID 19 CASES ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO AND THE CONSEQUENT INTRODUCTION OF MUCH TIGHTER, STATUTORY, RULES GOVERNING ORGANISED GATHERINGS AND MAXIMUM GROUP NUMBERS, HAVE RULED OUT ANY MEETING SUCH AS THE ONE WE HAD PLANNED FOR THE 26^th SEPTEMBER.

WHILE THIS IS A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR OURSELVES, IT IS A REAL BLOW FOR WALLY AND JULIE AT THE CROOKED BILLET. OUR PREVIOUS MEETING THERE ON SATURDAY 1^st AUGUST WAS A MOST ENJOYABLE ONE WITH THE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND MAXIMUM GROUP NUMBER RULES BEING FULLY OBSERVED, THANKS TO THE GOOD SENSE OF THE MEMBERS.

                                                                      2.

UNFORTUNATLY NOW, ANY SUCH ORGANISED GROUP ACTIVITY WOULD CREATE CONCERN IN THE MINDS OF THE LOCAL POLICE AND RESIDENTS.

HAPPILY, THIS CHARMING PUB REMAINS OPEN FOR FOOD AND DRINK.  THE PEACEFUL GARDEN IS A PLACE IN WHICH TO RELAX AND ENJOY THE VIEWS OF THE SURROUNDING COUNTRYSIDE FOR INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND UP TO 5 OF OUR FRIENDS. PLEASE CHECK THEIR WEBSITE BY GOOGLING:

THE CROOKED BILLET PUB COLNEY HEATH 

BEFORE ANY VISIT.

DUKE OF YORK PUB/RESTAURANT POTTERS BAR

HAPPILY, THE DUKE OF YORK HAS SURVIVED 4 MONTHS OF CLOSURE AND, LAST WEEK, JUSTIN, THE MANAGER, TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY SINCE THEIR RE-OPENING. OUR LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY 5^th DECEMBER BUT, UNLESS THERE IS A VERY LARGE DECREASE IN THE INCIDENCE OF COVID-19, A MEETING WITH THE TRADITIONAL FORMAT OF MEMBERS SQUEEZED INTO THE LIBRARY IS UNTHINKABLE.

HOWEVER, I WISH ALL OUR MEMBERS, THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS, SAFE TIMES IN THE COMING DAYS.  MAY WE ALL MEET AGAIN, ALTHOUGH PROBABLY NOT BEFORE SPRING 2021.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent   Barnet    Herts EN5 2SW           Tel:  020 8440 7550

Mob: 07 903 277 485                                                                               12^th September 2020.

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AUGUST 2020 NEWSLETTER

CANCELLATION OF THE BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW 20^th SEPTEMBER 2020

VERY SADLY, CHRIS AND DIANE HAVE CONCLUDED FROM THEIR NEGOTIATIONS WITH NCP MANAGEMENT, THE SPIRES MANAGEMENT AND BARNET COUNCIL THAT THERE ARE STILL TOO MANY UNCERTAINTIES FOR THE SHOW TO GO AHEAD. ALL PARTIES HAVE SHOWN VERY GOOD WILL IN TRYING TO IDENTIFY SATISFACTORY ARRANGEMENTS, BUT THE SITUATION REGARDING THE VIRUS HAS PRESENTED TOO MANY PROBLEMS.

THE SHOW WAS DUE TO TAKE PLACE IN FOUR WEEK’S TIME FROM THIS SUNDAY 23^rd AUGUST. MEMBERS WILL UNDERSTAND THAT AN EVENT OF THIS SCALE WOULD HAVE INVOLVED AN INDETERMINATE NUMBER OF VISITORS ARRIVING ON THE TOP FLOOR OF THE CAR PARK. THE CURRENT SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES MAY STILL BE IN PLACE IN 4 WEEK’S TIME, OR COULD EVEN BE SIGNIFICANTLY TIGHTER. 

HOWEVER, CHRIS HAS SAID THAT WE CAN MAKE OUTLINE PLANS FOR OUR SHOW TO BE IN MAY 2021. THIS WAS THE MONTH IN WHICH THEY ORIGINALLY HAD IN MIND FOR THIS YEAR’S SHOW. WE CAN ONLY FERVENTLY HOPE THAT, BY THEN, WE WILL NO LONGER BE SO SUBJECT TO THE CONSTRAINTS THAT HAVE BLIGHTED OUR PLANNED GATHERINGS THIS YEAR.

CHRIS AND DIANE ARE GRATEFUL TO THE MEMBERS WHO MADE AN INITIAL COMMITMENT TO COME ALONG TO THE SHOW IN THEIR CARS.  MANY THANKS TO CHRIS AND DIANE FOR ALL THE TIME THEY GAVE TO NEGOTIATING WITH THE LOCAL AND CENTRAL NCP AND THE COUNCIL AS THEY TRIED TO ARRANGE OUR SHOW THIS YEAR.

THIRTYSECOND MEET-UP    CROOKED BILLET PUB  

  1^st AUGUST 2020

This was our much-anticipated first meeting after the lockdown and it was worth the wait. The weather was mostly as the photo shows for the afternoon with some blue sky, no really threatening cloud and a comfortable temperature. It was so good to see partners, families and friends as well as the regular members. The young lady behind the bar served us with unfailing pleasantness.

The newsletter of 6^th April this year included a paragraph headed   ‘When Will We Meet Again?’    and a photo taken in the Crooked Billet car park in September 2018:

The words ‘Social Distancing’ had no meaning 2 years ago but now provides the only significant difference between these 2 photos.

A line-up of some remarkable cars, starting with Ken and Anne Goddard’s delightful 1904 Wolseley, then Jim Byrne’s formidable 7 litre Jensen, Stuart Pickett’s impressive Rolls Royce, Daryl Miller’s Rover P6 and Hugh Lewis’s Wolseley Hornet Special.

The contrasting styles of Tom’s 3 litre 1985 Porsche and Alex’s V8 Ford Mustang.

 Here is Chris Nightingale’s almost unique 1960 New Era Mini Cooper. There will be some more details about this remarkable car in a subsequent newsletter.

ETHANOL IN FUEL

Members will recall Howard’s article on this subject which was attached to the general email of 3^rd August. Since then, some members have told me of similar problems with leaking fuel hoses, mercifully, like me, without any serious outcomes. The article has certainly helped some members as well as myself and, once again, many thanks to Howard for the time he took to prepare the article for us.

Here is the engine bay of Howard’s TR4 showing a spotless finish to all the components and the paintwork as shiny as the outer body itself.

I again thank the kind members who rescued me from a very long wait for the AA on a Saturday night. Their generous provision of parts, skilled work and fuel meant that I was home with little delay at all.

FUTURE MEETINGS

We usually have our last meeting of the summer at the Crooked Billet Pub near to the end of September. Similarly, the pub has had its own classic car show at the beginning of the same month and in between has been our own show. With so many uncertainties this year, Julie, the landlady of the Crooked Billet, has suggested that we could have a combined gathering for pub and club this year on Saturday 26^th September. While this is simple enough for us, there is a lot of planning that Julie and Wally have to do for their show, in particular sorting out the food for the traditional barbecue, maybe arranging for a group to play that afternoon, negotiating the use of the paddock and the extra staff needed.

As always, we travel hopefully and look forward to a combined venture on Saturday 26^th September. Should Julie and Wally be unable to arrange their own show to be part of the day, they have kindly agreed that we can hold our club meeting in the car park from 3pm to 5pm.

Our final meeting of the year is booked in at The Duke of York Pub/Restaurant in Potters Bar on Saturday 5^th December from 3pm to 5pm but, in the absence of a crystal ball, you know the rest.

Owen Jones   29 Sutton Crescent Barnet EN5 2SW                                                                                                                 Phone: 020 8440 7550

Mobile: 07 903 277 485                                                                                                                                                                  20th August 2020.

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LATE ADDITION TO JULY NEWSLETTER (FULL NEWSLETTER FOLLOWS ADDITION)

CHANGE OF DATE OF NEXT MEETING OF BARNET CLASSIC CAR CLUB

OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR THIS SATURDAY 25^th JULY AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB IN COLNEY HEATH FROM 3.00pm to 5.00pm.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE WEATHER FORECAST FOR MUCH OF ENGLAND FOR THIS SATURDAY IS FOR HEAVY RAIN AT TIMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

OUR MEETINGS ARE ESSENTIALLY HELD OUTDOORS IN THE PUB CAR PARK, LOOKING AT EACH OTHER’S CARS, WITH SOME VISITS TO THE PUB TO BUY REFRESHMENTS.

IF THE WEATHER IS ANYTHING LIKE THAT FORECAST, THEN THIS TRADITIONAL FORMAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.

JULIE, THE LANDLADY AT THE CROOKED BILLET PUB, HAS KINDLY AGREED THAT WE SHOULD POSTPONE THIS SATURDAY’S MEETING TO:

  THE NEXT SATURDAY 1^st AUGUST FROM 3.00pm to 5.00pm

I HOPE THAT THIS LATE CHANGE WILL NOT CAUSE ANY INCONVENIENCE TO MEMBERS AND WE WILL BE ABLE TO MEET ON THIS NEW DATE WHEN THE FORECAST IS FOR MUCH BETTER WEATHER. (Please see 12^th July Newsletter for pub details).

JULY 2020 NEWSLETTER

THIRTYSECOND MEET-UP    SATURDAY 25^th JULY 2020 3.00pm to 5.00pm

The last club meeting was on the 29^th February 2020 at The Duke of York pub/restaurant with a newsletter sent out on 20^th March. By that time, we were in the grip of Covid 19 with many uncertainties over when we would be able to meet up again and which, if any, of the events on the 2020 Calendar, would actually take place.

Some good news is that Wally and Julie did open the Crooked Billet pub in Colney Heath on 4^th July, as planned. They have in place several procedures to minimise any transmission of the virus, including a one-way system through the pub, starting with entry via the door near to the High Street then exiting by the door leading to the car park. Perspex screens are in place at the bar with a separate serving space for the ordered drinks. Currently, they are not serving food, but Julie updates the news items on the website:  www.thecrookedbilletpub.com and they hope to offer meals as soon as possible. The garden has reminder notices about social distancing clearly displayed. Members will be required to sign a register at the bar leaving a contact number should any other customer later show systems of the virus. Julie will be pleased to answer any questions by phone at the number below or by email at:  thecrookedbilletpub@gmail.com

HOWEVER, AT PRESENT WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GATHER IN A SPECIFIC GROUP OF MORE THAN 6 PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT HOUSEHOLDS. WE MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING WITHIN THAT GROUP.

 WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO MEET IN THE CAR PARK AND ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT HAVE MORE THAN 6 PEOPLE IN ANY ONE CLUSTER ADMIRING A PARTICULAR CAR. THIS SEEMS TO FULFIL THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW.  MEMBERS MAY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT VIEW AND DECIDE TO WAIT FOR LESS RESTRICTIVE RULES TO BE IN PLACE BEFORE COMING TO A MEETING THIS YEAR.

THE MEETING WILL BE AT THE PUB ON SATURDAY 25^th JULY FROM 3.00pm to 5.00pm.

FOR ANY NEW MEMBERS, THE ADDRESS OF THE PUB IS:     88 HIGH STREET, COLNEY HEATH, AL4 0NP   Tel: 01727 822 128.  If you travel to Colney Heath from J22 of the M25, follow the signs to Colney

Heath on the 2 roundabouts adjacent to the motorway. After about 2 miles along Coursers Road you will arrive at a roundabout in Colney Heath. Turn left along the High Street, past The Cock Pub on the right and continue on for about one third of a mile until The Crooked Billet Pub is reached on the right. The car park entrance is on the far side of the building.

BARNET CLASSIC CAR SHOW  SUNDAY 20^th SEPTEMBER 2020 10.30am to 2.00pm

Chris and Diane Nightingale had to postpone our Classic Car Show which was scheduled for the 17^th May this year to the new date of:

  SUNDAY 20^th SEPTEMBER FROM 10.30 am to 2.00pm.

This is approximately 10 weeks away and we hope that the event will be possible without any significant restrictions. As in previous years, we will meet in the car park in Barnet Playing Fields off Barnet Lane at 10.30am then drive up Barnet Hill, along the High Street and into the Spires top-floor car park, to be in place by 11.00am, leaving at 2.00pm. We hope to have some classic motorbikes on display this year. The Spires management are anxious for this to happen again following the undoubted success of last year’s parade and show. These brought a large number of people into the shopping area, in spite of the heavy lunch-time rain which meant that the cars were in the lower ground floor rather than the open top floor car park.

RSPCA ANIMAL RESCUE CENTRE ACTIVITIES

Unfortunately, in spite of the considerable efforts of Howard Pryor and others involved with the Centre and the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, it has not been possible to arrange any shows involving the Centre that would have brought in much-needed funding. An event similar to the ‘Fun Day’ of last year at the Centre requires a great deal of preparation and any form of social distancing would be almost impossible to fulfil. They did consider staging an Autojumble and display of vehicles from the Museum but the possibility of waterlogging in the fields of the Centre in the autumn made this too risky.

Howard has told us that the current plan for next year is:

The Museum will run the Enfield Pageant in late May in the Enfield Playing Fields as in previous years.

The RSPCA will put on the Fun Day in July and look forward to our support with a display of classic cars and motorbikes.

The Whitewebbs Museum is hoping to run a Town and Country Show in the Centre grounds in August. This show has been staged in Cuffley and Trent Park in past years and it is hoped that the organisers will be happy to hold the show at the Centre in 2021.

Howard has reminded me that while groups of up to 30 may meet at the Whitewebbs Museum, there must be no more than 6 in any one cluster and also each person must register their details with the Museum.

May I wish members good health at the present time and I look forward to meeting up again as soon as possible.

Owen Jones

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JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER

I hope that you, your family and your friends are keeping well in these trying times.

I am very grateful to my next-door neighbour, Jean Wray, for a copy of the new item which Chris has put on the website. (This can be accessed by clicking:    www.barnetclassiccar.club ). Jean’s husband, Ralph, owned a Model A Ford which was fitted with a left-hand drive. He very cleverly converted this to RHD which made driving this precious classic car along the roads here a lot more straightforward. Members will have seen Ralph more recently at the meetings with either his 1962 Ford Capri or his Willys replica Jeep.

Chris will be happy to receive any further contributions for the website. Please send them to:   cdnightingale@aol.com

Julie, at the Crooked Billet Pub in Colney Heath, is hoping to re-open on Saturday 4^th July. Needless to say, this is a very provisional date, but, if the new arrangements work out okay, then we could have our next meeting there on Saturday 25^th July from 3.00pm to 5.00pm. We will have to wait until close to this date to confirm the meeting but it would be very therapeutic to put this date in our diaries now, albeit using a faint pencil.

Another light at the end of this dark tunnel is a plan that Howard Pryor and the RSPCA Animal Rescue Centre at Southridge are currently discussing. This is to hold a Classic Car Show in the grounds of the centre arranged by the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, of which Howard is a member, later in the year. We would be allocated a specific area in the fields for our cars. The museum lost its primary income source when the Enfield Pageant of Motoring had to be cancelled this year. This show should provide some much-needed cash for both the museum and the centre. Unfortunately, the centre will not be able to repeat the previously successful ‘Fun Day’ this year in its familiar format. With Howard’s deft negotiating and organisational skills, what can possibly go wrong?

Howard has also suggested that we could have a club meeting at the Whitewebbs Museum later this year. This would make an excellent venue as it has a large collection of vintage trucks, fire engines and classic cars displayed over 4 floors, as well as a restaurant. I will attach a photo that Howard kindly sent to me of his TR4A shortly after being rolled out from the paint shop. We look forward to seeing a pristine TR4A arriving at a meeting at some time in the future.

The newsletter of 20^th March has Sunday 20^th September as the provisional date of our postponed Barnet Classic Car Show in the Spires Barnet top floor car park. Chris Nightingale negotiated the new date with the Spires Management.  They appreciated the large numbers of local people who came into the shopping complex on that Sunday in September last year and will welcome us back this year. We must keep this date in our diaries and hope that it will be second-time lucky in 2020.

With very best wishes

Owen Jones

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GENERAL NEWSLETTER – 18th APRIL 2020

If you haven’t visited the website recently then a click on the link in the email message will take you to it. You will notice that in the ‘ABOUT’ section, Chris has included some information about the Arkley SS car. This car is shown in the left-hand logo at the top of the club notepaper which Chris designed.  Googling ‘Arkley SS’ will bring up several sites which include photos and videos of this unusual and all-too-rare sports car.

Chris is very grateful to Howard Pryor and Rod Chilcot who sent in the two articles that currently appear in the ‘Members cars’ area of the website. Howard described one of his epic journeys in the open 1904 Cadillac from London to Brighton while Rod’s travels in his Rover P4 round Norway and the Lofoten Islands were more in the traditions of Scott and Shackleton than a pleasant fortnight driving round Southern England.

The trouble is, ‘How do you follow that?’ Well, my answer is ‘I can’t’.  However, please don’t feel inhibited by these initial, heroic offerings.  I must be careful here as I know of several members who have told me of their remarkable drives around Britain and abroad by car and motorbike.

Please don’t hesitate to send in a short article about the restoration of a classic car that you have owned or a holiday in an older car. Whatever the story, Chris will be very happy to receive it and the members will be delighted to read it and admire any accompanying photos.

Just send in the contributions to:

                                                             cdnightingale@aol.com

                                                  

Early Days of the Club

The above photo is of Derrick Heggerty’s 1955 Ford Popular. It was taken by Andrew Hutchings at the second meeting of the club at The Crooked Billet on 27^th September 2014.

In an attempt to publicise the Barnet Market, Chris and Diane Nightingale decided to try to put on a classic car show on the market site in Spring 2014. Chris was, and still is, Chairman of the Friends of Barnet Market. The preparations for the show required detailed negotiations with Saunders Markets, the then managers of the site. On the 10^th April 2014, Chris sent out an email to the Friends, as well as some established classic car clubs, to see if he could muster sufficient support for the project.

Happily, a good number of enthusiasts responded positively, so on Saturday31st May, the first Barnet Classic Car Show was held on the market site and the area around the bandstand. It was a great success with large numbers of local folk coming along to see the cars and chat to the owners. It was also very pleasant for the owners to talk to each other about their cars and classic cars in general. Chris and Derrick Heggerty voiced the thoughts of several participants during a conversation on the day when they said we should try to set up a local classic car club.

Chris and Diane were involved with the Friends and Derrick and James Beeton were in full-time work and so could not take on the role of organiser.  Probably as a result of an involuntary twitch or sneeze, I found myself a few weeks later driving out to The Crooked Billet to see if Wally and Julie would allow us to have our first meeting at their country pub. It was duly arranged for the afternoon of Saturday 26^th July 2014 from 4.00 to 7.00pm.

Fortunately, the 26^th was a dry, warm day so at about 3.50pm that afternoon I was sitting in the pub garden by the entrance to the car park, reasonably hopeful that other classic cars would soon arrive. It was a great moment when, at about 4.05pm, Mick Dommett drove into the car park in his 1963 Morris Minor Traveller. Whenever I see Mick at a meeting, I always want to remind him that he was the first classic car owner to come along to a club meeting, a place in the history of the club that is his for ever.

 (Photo courtesy Steven Hart)

Here is Mick going steadily along Barnet High Street in the Morris on his way to the Spires car park for last year’s classic car show.

It wasn’t long before other classic cars started to arrive, including Derrick in his Ford Popular who had driven back from Newcastle that day and Chris’s virtually unique New Era Mini Cooper. Mike Jordan came along in his charming 1932 MG J2. We felt confident enough after this initial gathering to arrange another one. Wally and Julie were happy to welcome us again on the 27^th September and this, too, proved to be a very pleasant afternoon.

We then decided that it would be good to have one or two meetings at a pub closer to Barnet in the winter so that we could at least keep in touch with each other. The Duke of York on the Barnet Road, Potters Bar, fitted the bill perfectly. It has a large car park and a separate library which the then manager, Mat, allowed us to use free of charge. We are thankful that the 2 subsequent managers, John and Justin, have also kindly allowed us to use the library.

Impact of the Covid 19 restrictions on garages and bodyshops

Unfortunately, the severe, but understandable, curtailments on car journeys has resulted in a loss of work for some local garages. Members will recall that member Peter Wilson runs a specialist classic car repair and restoration business ‘Coolwater Classics’. This featured in the 6^th October and 29^th November 2019 newsletters which included photos of his Chevrolet that he describes as his ‘workhorse’. Peter told me that he has on-going work for a few weeks but, as with so many small businesses, the future is very uncertain.

          Peter’s attractive website is well worth a visit, whatever our needs, at:

                                                       www.coolwaterclassics.com 

May I wish our members and their families continuing good health and may it not be too long before we can meet again.

Owen Jones

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6th APRIL 2020 NEWSLETTER

Staying in touch in the coming months

First and foremost, I hope that our members, their families and friends are all keeping well and that we will, indeed, meet again before too long.

Chris and Diane Nightingale have suggested that we could, in the meantime, invite members to send in features that may be included on our website. These could be an account of the history of our cars, such as have appeared in previous newsletters, some details of other shows that we have been to in past years or any similar item that could be of interest to the members. Any relevant photos are especially welcome.

I have access to a number of photographs that members have kindly sent to me in the past. Sometimes it has not been possible to put them in the newsletters but now there is every opportunity for them to be shown subsequently. All of Jayne Evan’s uniformly attractive and professional photographs should be seen by all the members. There are some of Steven Hart’s excellent photos of the cars going along Barnet High Street last September on their way to the Spires car park that have yet to appear in a newsletter.

                     PLEASE SEND ANY CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE WEBSITE TO:

                                                          cdnightingale@aol.com

WHEN WILL WE MEET AGAIN?

Alas! This is an unanswerable question but let us hope that it will be at The Crooked Billet on a warm early autumn day at the very latest. Here is such a day, in fact 29^th September 2018, with no social distancing and just the prospect of a refreshing drink from the bar of this ever-welcoming pub.` How we look forward to seeing Julie, Wally and the staff again and send them our best wishes at this wretched time for them and all similar pubs.

Owen Jones

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