The May 2016 Gathering

Thursday 19th May saw the first Greetham Gathering of the 2016 season, but the weather forecast was not good. Whilst the weather usually has a large impact on the Gathering attendance; the forecast of rain in the early evening was not welcome and not something we had experienced over the previous two years. However, the Gathering had to go ahead as we all know just how the weather can change and so an air of optimism was adopted by the organisers, and we all just carried on as usual. Everything was is place at 4:00pm awaiting what would happen over the coming few hours.

Well, the “Gatherers” did not let us down! After the customary slow start, the cars just kept on coming in. Rain was in the air, but the vehicles kept coming in and by around 7:00pm we had over 160 cars had come through the gate and of these over 60 were true classic cars. Yet again we were treated to seeing some of the wonderful vehicles that have graced the Gathering before, but just as exciting for us all is that we continue to attract more vehicles previously unseen at the Gatherings.

There are too many to mention in detail here but let’s just say we had a high end Ferrari, Aston Martins, Porsches, Bentley, Jaguars (inc 3 E-types), Mustang and Lotuses, along with classic family, workhorse and of course rare vehicles such as several fine Rovers, Ford Pilot, Vauxhall Cresta, Lancia and Citroen 2CV. Also of note was a Moto Guzzi engined 3 wheeler, and a Sinclair C5. Such is the Gathering – you never know what surprises will come through the gate, and long may it continue!

In the motorcycle paddock we managed to get 30 bikes – both classic and modern. The threat of rain is taken more seriously by the 2 wheeler brigade for obvious reasons, but we are grateful and pleased that these Gatherers made the commitment to come – whatever the weather. Such is the attraction of this event. Among the bikes we had a BSA A10 Rocket, a beautiful recently restored James Comet, an unrestored MZ, an Indian, a modern Sachs engined 125, a beautiful  Victory and a rare Harley Davidson XH in beautiful condition.

Thanks must go to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. Also to Andy and crew for the fine food he prepares; to Anne and team for the bar; to Maureen and Carol for the cakes and coffee, to Lorine for supplying prizes and selling raffle tickets; Debbie and Sue on the gate, and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when.

Please make a note of the next Gathering which is on June 16th – same time, same place, but hopefully better weather! Remember, that we donate our profits to the local Air Ambulance. Thanks again to our supporters – we continue to be optimistic that the success of this event will continue and we shall grow to be even bigger in 2016.  See you in June.