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July was a scorcher!

Written by  on July 31, 2018

With the current run of hot sunny weather, we had no worries that the weather at the July Gathering was going to be perfect. Perfect weather means lots of people coming to enjoy the event – and that’s how it turned out. In fact, the weather was probably a bit too perfect as the heat was affecting everyone – but we are not complaining!

Nice weather means a nice turnout, and yet again the “Gatherers” turned out in volume. As the Gathering season moves on through the year, you might expect the numbers to continually increase. But that has not been the case in the past. June is the peak month and July tends to be a bit less – and so it was this year. School holidays and people away are the probable reasons.

However, we may have been down in quantity, but not quality! We had some amazing vehicles turn out – many we have not seen for a while and many we were seeing for the first time! This applied to both cars and motorbikes. We estimated that about 145 bikes turned up – again with over 50 being classics. Among those were classic Moto Guzzis, Bultaco, Honda, Yamaha, Harley Davison, BSA, Norton, Arial, AJS, Triumph and Suzuki to name just a few.

On the brown, parched, sun-bleached display field we had an equally impressive array of classic cars – numbering around 190. To name some of those included: a Maclaren (P1), Lea Francis, Singer, Jaguar, Lotus, Porsche, Triumph, Austin, Ford, Volvo, Mercedes, Morris, Vauxhall, Renault, and our faithful VW Campervan and Land Rover supporters. Take a look at the photos for a better appreciation of some of the vehicles that were present.

One of the things we do at each Gathering is hold a modest raffle. It’s only £1 a ticket and the raffle is a major contributor to our profits and thus the Air Ambulance. We consider that the Gathering is good value for money (after all its only £1 per vehicle to come in) so spending a £1 or so on raffle tickets does support the Air Ambulance. Please do support it. Oh, and one last plea to attendees – no more euros or out of date old £1 coins please. A few got past our money collectors this month and whilst it is possible to get them cashed it would be better for us if you did it, so thanks in advance for your consideration.

Finally – a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped us on the day, whether before, during or after the event. Whether marshalling the vehicles, collecting gate money, selling raffle tickets, selling hot food, cakes or teas and coffees, and of course the Rutland First Response team, we thank you for your continued support as the Gathering just wouldn’t be what it is today without you!

Gathering 2nd Annual Run-Out 15th July 2018

Written by  on July 16, 2018

On Sunday July 15th 2018, the Greetham Gathering held its second annual run-out. A number of Gathering regulars attended at the start point – Greetham Community Centre, where they were able to enjoy bacon sandwiches and tea/ coffee before setting off. At 11:00am they went on their way; 18 classic cars of varying ages, some modern cars, and 1 classic motorcycle.

The route was planned to take them around some of the picturesque and interesting parts of the mighty county of Rutland. The route took them from Greetham, around Exton, Empingham, Normanton (passing Rutland Water), Edith Weston, Wing, Glaston, Harringworth, and a stop in Lyddington.  After a break (and some refreshment) the group went off again to Stoke Dry, Stockerston, Uppingham (with an unplanned stop here!) and back to Greetham via Ayston, Riddlington, Brooke and Oakham. The journey ended at the Wheatsheaf Inn in Greetham in the early afternoon. All agreed what a good day it had been and so it’s again likely that something like this will be organised again.

Our thanks go to all who participated, supported and organised this successful and fun event.

Yet another record breaking Gathering

Written by  on July 11, 2018

Such is the nature of the Gatherings now, that we become very confident of a massive turnout when the weather is fine and dry. That was the case for our June Gathering on 21stJune. June has historically been a good month for the Gatherings, so we were confident and prepared. You did not let us down and we again surpassed our best previous record for attendances.

Having been a little surprised at the numbers that showed in May, we decided to adopt a more compact parking regime for cars and bikes, and it seems to have worked as we had more vehicles than in May but still had capacity in reserve. Let’s see how that aspect turns out in July!

We had about 150 motor cycles turn up. Quite a few more classics than usual and supported by a large contingent of more modern bikes. Again we are seeing some great machines that have not visited us before – and long may it continue.

We had similar parking considerations for the number of cars that attended. We counted over 450 vehicles into the car parks – and that does not include motor bikes. More of the cars that turned up this month were classics and we estimate that there were nearly 200. Besides the usual array of rare, interesting and sometimes spectacular cars spanning all the way back to the early 1900’s, we were graced with the presence of 2 American Tractor trucks. These were of great fascination for many junior Gatherers and the sheer size of them (see photos) left us wondering just how they managed to actually get in through our width constrained gates – but they did and we are pleased.

As regards the vehicles there are just too many to call out for a mention, but take a look at the pictures. Come along to the next meeting on July 19thand get a first-hand view of the vehicles. Come early as it does get a little congested – but we’ll get you in.

One of the things we do at each Gathering is hold a modest raffle. It’s only £1 a ticket and the raffle is a major contributor to our profits and thus the Air Ambulance. We consider that the Gathering is good value for money (after all its only £1 per vehicle to come in) so spending £1 or so on raffle tickets does support the Air Ambulance. Please do support it. Oh, and one last plea to attendees – no more out of date old £1 coins please. Quite a few got past our raffle seller and whilst it is possible to get them cashed – we’d rather you did it, so thanks in advance for your consideration.

Finally – a big thank you to all the volunteers who helped us on the day, whether before, during or after the event. Whether marshalling the vehicles, collecting gate money, selling raffle tickets, selling hot food, cakes or teas and coffees, we thank you for your continued support as the Gathering just wouldn’t be what it is today without you!

Gathering makes new attendance record

Written by  on May 21, 2018

Well, here we are in mid-May and it’s the day of the first Greetham Gathering of this year. The weather is turning out to be better than expected with it being warmer and more sun than cloud. Would this be enough to entice people to come along? Would they remember that we hold the Gatherings on the same day each month from May? Has word got out that we are ready and waiting? Have we publicised it enough? All these questions (and many more) go through the organisers’ minds as, at about 5:00pm in the afternoon, there is only a trickle of vehicles turning up.

 

We should not have worried. Every Gathering we worry, and if the weather is good, we are always rewarded with a good turnout – but not this time. The turnout wasn’t good – it was unbelievable, outstanding and a record breaker. The Gatherers turned up in their droves and gave us some new challenges – where to park them all?

 

Now for the figures! We had about 148 motor cycles turn up. This far exceeded our previous best over the 4 years the Gatherings have been held by 50%. Our previous best for motorcycles was 95 in July 2017. With these numbers we parked the bikers on both sides of the display and bike parking areas and right down the middle between the 2 other rows. So, next month we shall be parking the bikes a bit more carefully and closer to each other – that should help avoid the same situation happening again. With the massive increase in bikers we were so busy that we could not count the number of classics but we estimate about 30 – which is a figure we shall work on to increase over coming meetings.

 

We had similar considerations for the number of cars that attended. We counted 326 vehicles into the car parks – and that is a 15% increase of 48 over the 278 we admitted in June 2017. However, more of the cars this month were classics and we estimate that near 200 were classics. Again, if we attract more Gatherers in the coming months we may have to pack them in with closer parking. A nice problem to have!

 

As regards the vehicles there are just too many to call out for a mention. Come along to the next meeting on June 21stand get a first-hand view of the vehicles.

 

The success of this meeting means we have to give a massive thank you to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. We estimate that about 750 people must have been present. We would like to thank  Andy Saunders, his mobile kitchen and crew for the fine high quality food he always prepares – his kitchen seemed to have a long queue for hours; to Anne and team for the bar (which as always did a great job); to Carol, Maureen and their crew of additional volunteers for the cakes and coffee; to Loreen for running the raffle; to Debbie, Pippa and Sue on the gate, to Steve P, Steve C, Mark, Brian, Darren and Alan (aka Daffodil) and Malcolm  for helping marshalling, to The Jackson Stops Inn (Stretton) and The Plough, Greetham, for donating generous raffle prizes, and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when. Finally a big Thank You to the Rutland First Responders team for attending, and we give thanks that they had nothing to do.

 

Finally, a repeat appeal for help. We would always welcome anyone who can give their time on the day to help set-up the venue, assist during the Gathering (say from 5:00 to dusk) and help clear up. Even if it’s only an hour, it would be appreciated. Similarly if you can help Carol and Maureen on the cakes, teas, coffees, either serving and/or baking, then that would be appreciated. Could you bake a cake and donate it to the Gathering? The increased numbers attending are putting a strain on our loyal and regular volunteers to keep the cake eaters satisfied! We completely sold all our stock at this Gathering and we hope/expect a larger attendance in June (weather permitting!) If you can bake a cake it would be appreciated and help the cause. Maybe you could bake one at some time and freeze it? If so, please let me know so I can pass it on to the ladies in the kitchen. Thank you. Your cake would help raise money for YOUR Community Centre as all profits from these sales are helping pay for the new kitchen – so can you bake a cake and do a bit for the community?

 

We shall hold the next Gathering for 2018 on the 3rdThursdays of June to September, but will keep you all informed of any changes or news.

Gathering donates £2200 to local Air Ambulance

Written by  on November 9, 2017

On Wednesday November 8th, some of the Greetham Gathering’s Committee and helpers met Jo Payne from the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance Service (DLRAA) at the Air Ambulance base at East Midlands Airport to present a cheque in support of the DRLAA. In 2014, the first year of the Greetham Gatherings, the committee were able to present a cheque to the DRLAA for £450. In 2015 the donation was £1500. In 2016 the donation was £2000. In 2017 we hoped to exceed the previous year’s amount, but this has proven to be much more challenging. We had some great sunny days where record attendances were recorded, but in September we had dreadful weather and that, understandably, put a dent in our fund raising hopes. However we still had our most successful year yet for the Gatherings, and with all the extra support from the public, the committee were delighted to present a cheque for £2200 to the DLRAA.

 

The Greetham Gathering is an informal get-together for enthusiasts of vintage and classic vehicles, and is held each 3rd Thursday of the months of May to September, from 5:00pm till dusk. The Gatherings are held at Greetham Community Centre, Great Lane, Greetham, LE15 7NG, and all are welcome – with or without classic or vintage vehicles. Food and drinks are available, and we look forward to your continued support. Further details can be found at www.Greethamgathering.co.uk.

 

Without the fabulous support from all the enthusiasts and members of the public who come to the Gatherings, this would not be possible. Their contribution to making the Gatherings a success is truly appreciated and we look forward to being able to further increase our donation to the DLRAA in 2018.

 

The picture (below) shows Martin Fairbairn, Treasurer for the Greetham Gatherings, with Roly Easson, Lorine Mohamed and Gilbert Thomas present a cheque for £2200 to the DLRAA, who had the on-duty pilot, paramedic and 2 doctors to accept it.

September 2017 Gathering – a wet night!

Written by  on November 4, 2017

For several days before the event, the Weather forecast had been showing that we were to expect rain on Gathering day. This was no surprise and we are always optimistic when it comes to the weather – after all there have been loads of times in the past that the forecast proved unreliable and we benefited from much better weather than expected. So, that would happen again, wouldn’t it? The sun would shine on us, wouldn’t it?

Well, for the first time in 4 years the answer to that was a resounding NO! When setting up the arena started at around 2:00pm it was already raining steadily, and as the afternoon progressed the rain continued. Who would turn up in this weather? Will anyone come and eat burgers, cakes or have a drink? Optimism was still around, but not widely voiced. The show must go on!

Slowly, from about 5:00pm vehicles started to arrive. Not at the pace we had enjoyed at previous Gatherings but it was just great to see anyone turn up. Many regulars turned up, some without their classic vehicles, and some were not worried by the rain. By about 6:30pm the rain had stopped and the sky brightened up and gradually turned blue as the cloud dispersed.  If only that had happened a few hours earlier, but never mind – the Gathering did take place.

In the end we had about 40 classic cars show up, and 4 brave motorcycles (2 of which were on classics). In the car arena we had the pleasure of 2 Mustangs, 2 Model T Fords, 2 MGB V8s, 5 Land Rovers, plus BMWs, Jaguars, a VW Camper, a Citroen 2CV and a Citroen Traction Avant, a Morris, a Chrysler, a Mercedes, and several others including a Sinclair C5 pedal/electric trike. In the motorcycle park we were graced with a beautiful red Moto Guzzi 2 stroke and a 250cc BMW R26 single.

Thanks as always must go to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. Also to Andy Saunders and crew for the fine food he always prepares and especially when the weather had significantly reduced the customer numbers AND when he had just become a dad again (Congratulations Andy and Ruth); to Anne and team for the bar; to Carol and her extended team of additional volunteers for the cakes and coffee; to Janet for running the raffle; to Debbie, Pippa and Sue on the gate; to Steve P, Brian, and Jeremy  for helping marshalling, and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when. Finally a big Thank You again to the first response team for attending and we give thanks that they had nothing to do.

Well, that’s the season of Gatherings over for 2017, but rest assured we shall return next May for our 5th year. We cannot do it without the support of the wider community and again we thank you all. Once we have tied up all that needs doing this year we will make our donation to the local Air Ambulance and will publicise it through this website.

 

August Gathering – another big night

Written by  on September 14, 2017

As previously reported in last month’s article, June was a massive Gathering meeting with all previous attendance records broken.  August’s overall attendance was just a fraction down on July’s, and that was a remarkable effort by all.

Once again, the forecast proved to be spot-on and from lunchtime onwards on Thursday we had warm sunshine and the roads were rapidly drying. We were blessed as we again witnessed over 140 classic cars and over 30 classic bikes in the bike park! Yet again, it was good to meet and greet our regular attendees, and extend a warm welcome to the new ones. We continue to hope that you will keep on coming.

This time there will be just a few vehicles that were to be singled out. There are just so many now, but if you are interested then you should ensure you are at the next Gathering! In August we had a Doriot Flandrin Parant (DFP)– a rare early 20th century French car and this attracted a lot of attention. Also we had the usual mix of British classics (Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguars, Austin, Rover, Singer, Lotus, Triumph, MG, Jensen, Mini, a nice Vauxhall Cresta and Ford Zephyr) and others (Citroen, Trans-am, GM, Porsche, Maserati, Jeep, Mazda, Volvo). In the motorcycle park we has a gorgeous Modial 175, Suzuki T20, a couple of Guzzis, BMWs some BSAs, Nortons, Velocettes, a Laverda, AJS, Triton, Honda and Sunbeam.

Thanks as always must go to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. Also to Andy and crew for the fine food he always prepares; to Anne and team for the bar (which again did a great job); to Maureen, Carol and their crew of additional volunteers for the cakes and coffee, to Loreen for running the raffle; to Debbie and Sue on the gate, to Steve P, Steve C for helping marshalling, to The Jackson Stop Inn (Stretton) for donating a generous raffle prize, and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when.

July Gathering keeps on surprising

Written by  on August 10, 2017

As previously reported, last month was a massive Gathering meeting with all previous attendance records broken.  With unsettled weather leading up to this event, we were expecting a drop in attendance – but did it happen? Well, no it did not! July’s overall attendance was just about the same as June’s, and that was a remarkable effort by all.

In anticipation of a good turnout, and with dark clouds above, the organisers set out the car park spaces late on Wednesday, with more space being allocated to the classic cars and less to the public parking area. After all, historically July has been a good month for the Gatherings and we did not want to be caught out with insufficient space in which to park the classics.

With one eye on the weather forecast on Thursday morning, and another on the downpour outside, it was looking a bit precarious. However, to be fair (and no weather puns intended) the forecast proved to be spot-on and from lunchtime onwards we had warm sunshine and the roads were rapidly drying. Was it getting good enough for our supporters to come along? The answer to that is a resounding YES, as we again witnessed over 140 classic cars and over 30 classic bikes in the bike park! In fact, we had a record number of 95 bikes turn up and 261 cars. Yet again, it was good to meet and greet our regular attendees, and extend a warm welcome to the new ones. We continue to hope that you will keep on coming.

At this event we had engaged the services of a professional drone operator to film parts of the event. This was all done in accordance with the CAA guidelines and rules. We will publicise where the film can be viewed when we have received it from the operator.

This month there will be no list of vehicles that were to be singled out. There are just so many now, but a selection of pictures are below.

Thanks as always must go to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. Also to Andy and crew for the fine food he always prepares; to Anne and team for the bar (which again did a great job); to Maureen, Carol and their crew of additional volunteers for the cakes and coffee, to Janet for running the raffle; to Debbie and Sue on the gate, to Brian, Chris, Steve P and friend for helping marshalling and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when. Finally a big Thank You to the first response team for attending and we give thanks that they had nothing to do.

Gathering Run-Out June 2017

Written by  on July 1, 2017

On Sunday June 18th 2017, the Greetham Gathering held a run-out. A number of Gathering regulars attended at the start point – Greetham Community Centre, where they were able to enjoy bacon sandwiches and coffee before setting off. At 11:00am they went on their way; 20 cars of varying ages, and 2 classic motorcycles.

The route was planned to take them around some of the picturesque and interesting parts of the mighty county of Rutland. The route took them from Greetham to Exton, Empingham, Normanton (passing Rutland Water), Edith Weston, North & South Luffenham, and Barrowden (beautiful village green) where a rest was in order. After a break (and some refreshment) the group went off again to Seaton, Harringworth (impressive railway viaduct across the valley) Gretton, Lyddington (where there was another rest), Bisbrooke, Preston, Brooke and Oakham. The journey ended at Oakham where the town council had a Father’s day event and the vehicles took part in a static display there.

All agreed what a good day it had been and so its likely that something like this will be organised again. Our thanks go to all who participated and supported this fun event.

 

June 2017 Gathering

Written by  on July 1, 2017

The organisers of the Gatherings are starting to get a little bit worried. The way in which the Gatherings have grown in numbers is starting to become really noticeable by the sheer space we need to allocate on the field to the classic and vintage vehicles. In June we managed to get more than 140 classic and vintage cars (and buses!) into the usual space, and this was in part thanks to the assistance provided by our new volunteers. Next month we may well move the public parking a bit further up the field and we shall continue to carefully manage parking. Similarly, but on a smaller scale, the motorcycle park was noticeably more crowded with over 80 bikes in total. Now let’s understand that we are not complaining! These are the challenges of success and we are truly grateful to all who support the Gatherings in whatever capacity. Without you and without our volunteers it could not happen. We must be getting some things right!

As mentioned above, we had a record number of cars attend. We counted a total of 278 through the gate of which over 140 were in the display park. This is our BEST YET attendance. Similarly of the 82 bikes (also a record) we had 22 classics and vintage.

Please see the photos for a sample of some of the vehicles that attended. We can’t list every vehicle nor can we publish a picture of them all as web space is limited and costs money! However, we hope that seeing these will encourage you to come again and enjoy the great atmosphere.

Thanks as always must go to all who attended, whether showing a vehicle or not. Also to Andy and crew for the fine food he always prepares; to Anne and team for the bar (which did a great job); to Maureen and Carol for the cakes and coffee, to Lorine for running the raffle, to Debbie, Sue and Pippa on the gate, to Brian, Steve P and Steve C for helping marshalling and to all the supporters who lend a hand as and when. Also, thanks to Scott at the Wheatsheaf (Greetham) for donating a raffle prize.