Shropshire Star

Classic cars raise £1.3k for charity in Bridgnorth Rotary Club event

Classic Jaguars, Aston Martins and Rolls-Royces were among the fleet of vintage vehicles that could be seen driving through Shropshire during an annual car run.

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Rotarian Derek Peden (centre)alongside Steve and Helen Roper with their 1983 Morgan 4/4 sports car

Meeting at Bridgnorth Livestock Centre, 43 rare cars motored on a 20-mile run raising £1,300 for good causes.

Organised by the Rotary Club of Bridgnorth, the event has been running for 15 years and saw petrol heads from across the county come together to showcase their pride and joy.

Brian Wilkes is a member of the rotary club and organised the event alongside Steve Roper and club treasurer Martin Jones.

He also took part in the event, driving his Aston Martin DB6 Mk 2 Vantage.

"I bought the car in 1976, restored it over a period of time and kept it – it's the best investment I've ever made," he said.

"The event takes place to raise money for local charities. We've been doing it for 15 years now so it's not a new thing, but it's nice to get together with like-minded people."

The run took participants through the Shropshire countryside before arriving at The Down Inn where the event finished with a buffet.

"There was a great mixture of cars this year and we had 68 people at the meal which was nice," he added.

Rotarian Brian Wilkes with his Aston Martin DB6 Mk 2 Vantage

"It's open to the public so we advertise it and people come along with whatever car they want to bring, it's nice to see a good selection.

"I actually helped come up with the idea originally as we were thinking of different things we can do to support good causes and we found nice cars tend to attract people.

"It's a great social event and we all like cars so it's a good opportunity to have a look around."

There were two awards handed out at the event for the best overall car and the one the club president, Robert Davies, would choose to drive home in.

An Alvis Silver Eagle took home the best car award, while a Bentley Continental R proved to be the vehicle most liked by the club's president.

Among the vehicles were a 1973 Jaguar V12 sports car, a 1960 Triumph TR3 A, a 1936 straight-six Rolls Royce and a 1967 E type Jaguar.

Martin Jones, club treasurer, joined the Rotary Club of Bridgnorth in 1991 and also took part in the event behind the wheel of his 2016 Lotus Exige S sports car.

"We do this year after year and it continues to raise a great sum of money," he said.

"It's fairly simple to organise which is always a plus and although it's weather dependent, it's well worth doing.

Martin Jones behind the wheel of his 2016 Lotus Exige S sports car

"We always get a great group of enthusiasts attend and the money goes to charity which is the main reason behind it of course.

"The money will go into the Rotary's funds so we can distribute it to charities and good causes."

The event this year was sponsored by Wallace Crooke accountants and SNG Barratt Group.

He added: "The event itself went really well. We end up at the pub which these days tends to be The Down Inn as they have a big enough car park to accommodate all the cars.

"We're glad to get the continued support of our sponsors and we can confirm the event will definitely go ahead again next year."