The July 2015 Gathering

One of our main areas of interest in the days/hours leading up to each Gathering is the weather, and despite the forecasts threatening rain, it did not transpire and so yet again we were blessed with a dry, and mainly cloudy evening. On the attendance front we were slightly down on June’s classic vehicle numbers, but the number of non-exhibitors was up so overall from a charity raising viewpoint we were almost at the June’s figures. That said, the organisers are absolutely delighted with the support we are getting, and we are on course to make a much larger donation to the local Air Ambulance at the end of this year’s events.

 

Our success is down to the supporters who generously attend and participate in the spirit of the event – that’s you! We thank you and hope you will continue to support us. We were pleased to offer an addition to the hot food offerings with Chilli being added in July as a “special” dish, and it looks like “Curry” will be offered in August – but at time of writing I cannot guarantee that. Thanks must go to those who organise the event (Gilbert, Roly, Debbie, Mike and Martin); those who help on the day (Brian K, Janet T, Sue B, Thomas, Malcolm and Bill); the raffle coordinator (Loreen); sustenance providers (Andy and his team); the cakes and drinks ladies (Carol F, Maureen H, Ros M and all who donated cakes), the bar staff, and anyone else who I may have forgotten (Sorry!) – all of whom make the event the success it is.

 

The event started slowly but as we have now come to expect, many of the attendees arrived after 6:00pm. Based upon June’s attendance, when the exhibiting area was looking somewhat crowded, we extended that area this month which meant we had a smaller general car park. There’s a law that catches you out when you don’t plan properly for things, and it was applied this month! The general car park looked quite crowded but the exhibiting numbers were down (in the enlarged paddock). We’ll get it right one day but at least we have the space to take more vehicles. We had a nice mix of classic cars attend, some old favourites and regulars, and some we had not seen before. We were treated to, amongst others, the literally just-restored (hours earlier that day – by Easson’s Motors) Austin Mini, a beautiful Lanchester, a Citroen DS, a Bentley, Daimler, Ferrari, Maserati, several Lotuses, MGs Triumph TRs and some classic “everyday” cars like an Austin Maxi, Ford Fiestas, Morris Minors, Rileys, Wolesleys and VWs. Around 70 classic vehicles (including a tractor) were on display.

 

In the motorcycle park, we had some nice machines, including a Rudge 500cc Sports Special, a Honda CB750-4 and other Honda 4s, an Ariel single and an Ariel twin, a Kawasaki 750 triple (2 stroke) and a Kawasaki 1000cc six cylinder, a Velocette Venom, a motorised pushbike, a Honda C90 cub, a Norton Dominator and a modified BSA Bantam with a tank mounted gear change. In all there were over 60 motorcycles of all ages present.

 

The next Gathering is on August 20th so please make a note in your diary – and bring a friend. With MG celebrating a big anniversary this year, it would be nice to see as many MGs turn up as possible. Over to you MG owners!

 

June 2015 Gathering

The weather forecast changed from a sunny day to a cloudy day, but fortunately for us again, the evening was dry if not a little on the chilly side. That did not seem to curb the enthusiasm of the attendees, as June proved to be the best attended Gathering yet! The formula seems to be working as we had over 100 display cars, (and a London bus!); about 80 cars in the general parking area; and about 70 bikes (30 of which were “classics”).

 

Among the cars in attendance were Ferraris, Porsches, many Jaguars, Lotuses, MGs, Triumphs, a beautiful Scimitar, a Maserati, and too many more beautiful vehicles to list. In all, a fantastic selection spanning many motoring generations and illustrating how cars have developed from early on, through to today. Among those of note In the motorcycle park we had a somewhat rare Velocette LE (not a spectacular bike but known to the older generation as the police “Noddy Bike”), a rare Weslake Mettisse, a nice AJS single, a Suzuki T500 twin and 750 water cooled triple (known as a “kettle”), a Royal Enfield, a brace of Yamaha TDXs, and a BSA single.

 

Talk among the attendees was of how much they like the event, and we are still seeing a good number of “new” attendees, along with a solid number of returnees. Again, thanks to all the helpers and supporters of this event – without you we could not be so successful.

 

The next Gathering is on Thursday July 16^th so please make a note in your diary – and bring a friend. We won’t run out of beer, cakes or anything – we promise! See you there and let’s make this one the “best yet”.

 

The first “Greetham Gathering” of 2015

Well, the first of the 2015 Greetham gatherings took place on May 21^st, and what a great event it turned out to be. Firstly, we were blessed yet again with the weather which was perfect for a marvellous evening. Added to that, we maintained the formula that was so successful in 2014 and changed very little. That meant a small admission fee of £1 per vehicle; fast food bar, teas coffees and cakes, and a licensed bar, were all on offer. Also a raffle took place and all profits from the event will go to the local Air Ambulance. Many thanks to Loreen Mohammed for collecting the money and to all who purchased tickets.

 

The event really took off at around 6:00 pm when the enthusiasts started to arrive, and we had a continuous stream from thereon until about 8:00pm. It was soon apparent that the number of vehicles – cars in particular – was going to exceed what we had witnessed at ant Gathering in the previous year. Over 70 classic cars turned out – many of which we had not seen at a Gathering before, and all generating interest from the onlookers and enthusiasts. Of particular interest this time were an Isetta bubble car, Type D Jaguar, 3 wheeler Morgans, Sprites, E-type jaguars, MGC, A unique Mercedes 1940’s truck, Renault Caravelle, Lotuses, MG’s, and a beautiful cream and pink VW campervan – to name just a few. We also had many other classic cars and Land Rovers, some tractors and a London Routemaster bus in attendance.

 

In the motorcycle park, we had BMWs, Velocettes, Suzuki 750-3, Triumph Trident, Triton, Sunbeam, BSAs, a Yamaha XS650 special, Honda CB77, Honda CB400-4, as well as about 25 more modern bikes.

 

The number of visitors who were not showing vehicles had also increased – to about 60. The increase in visitors meant that the parking area for classic vehicles became quite full, but rest assured it will be extended for next month’s Gathering on 18^th June, where we look forward to another bumper attendance, good weather (hopefully) and another great evening. See you there! The Gatherings occur every 3^rd Thursday of the months of May to September, from 4:00pm onwards until dusk, at Greetham Community Centre, Greetham, Rutland. More information on the Gathering can be found on the “Gathering” website at www.greethamgathering.co.uk.

 

Sadly, we experienced some unacceptable and ant-social behavior after the May gathering, when one or more motorcyclists decided to ignore the one way exit system we had put in place (for good reasons!), and to ride irresponsibly at speed and performing “wheelies” in our village. These actions are not welcome and this must stop as any continuation of this behavior will have us closed down and the majority will be punished for the mindless actions of the few. Thank you to the unsung majority.

P.S. We have not yet uploaded the pictures for the May Gathering  as we are experiencing some technical issues. We are on the case and will upload them as soon as we can. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Greetham Gathering supports local Air Ambulance

Following a very successful first year in 2014, the organisers of the Greetham Gathering were pleased to present a cheque to the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) for £450. The presentation took place on 14^th November, at Colin Easson Motors and was received by John Nowell – the representative for DLRAA for Rutland, who thanked the Greetham Gathering for their support and that the donation would be put to towards the local service.

Dates for the 2015 Gathering season have been set as 14 May, 18 June, 16 July, 20 August and 17 September (all the 3^rd Thursday of the month), from 5:00pm till dusk, and we look forward to your continued support. We shall make more announcements closer the time, but will continue to support the DLRAA.

The picture below shows, from l to r, Gilbert Thomas, Roland Easson, John Nowell, Loreen Mohammed, and Martin Fairbairn. Gilbert, Roly and Martin (along with Mike Carr who could not be present for the presentation) are the Gathering committee and Loreen has organised fund raising through very successful raffles at the Gatherings.

The Fifth “Gathering” – 18 September 2014

This being the 5^th ”Gathering” of 2014, and the last one for this year, we were expecting a downturn in attendance as the weather had been somewhat drab all week, and the evenings were drawing in fairly quickly now. The weather forecast had offered some hope of a pleasant evening, but all week it had not been that good. Well, we were again blessed with a beautiful afternoon and evening, and our supporters responded by turning out in numbers that again, exceeded our expectations.  .

After the now customary slow start, the exhibitors and supporters started to arrive, with a steady stream from about 6:00pm. We reckon that we had around 130 vehicles turn up in total. Of these, there were around 20 classic bikes, 15 other bikes and scooters, around 40 classic cars and over 60 visiting cars, and again our red Routemaster bus!

Vehicles of note this time included a beautiful Model 20 Rover, a Lotus, a very rare Rover P6 3.9 estate car, a Lancia, a 3 wheeler v twin Matchless  engine Morgan, a Humber Sceptre, a Triumph Vitesse, many beautiful Jaguars, an Austin Healey Sprite, a Ford GT40 replica, and many other favourites and new appearances.  On the motorcycles we has several Moto Guzzis, a Triton (Triumph engine in Norton frame), a James, Harley Davidson, a few Triumphs and BMWs and many others. However, there was again the 1942 Jeep that Colin Easson Motors had restored and rebuilt for the Channel 5 programme “Storage: Flog the lot!” – which was screened on 19^th September. We also had the pleasure of welcoming South Witham resident George Geeson, who at almost 104 years old was able to walk around and reminisce about his many years in the motor industry. George was treated to a “spin” around the field in the Matchless Morgan, which brought a great smile to his face.

A raffle was held in aid of Air Ambulance, and our thanks again go to Loreen for again persuading people to part with their cash and buy tickets. We would like to express our sincere thanks to those who donated the prizes: Maureen & Carol from the Teas and Cakes in the kitchen, and “Captain” Barry, and Mags Clarke

Well, that’s it for 2014 but we shall not be inactive during the winter. We shall be planning our 2015 series of “Gatherings” and will aim to increase attendance and our contribution to the Air Ambulance. We shall also announce how much we are able to give the Air Ambulance as a result of our 2014 “Gatherings” later this year, and will keep you further informed of all “Gathering” news via the “Gathering” website at www.greethamgathering.co.uk.

Many thanks to all of you who have come along and supported us – we appreciate it. Keep checking the website – and we’ll see you again in 2015.

 

 

 

 

The Fourth “Gathering” – 21 August 2014

Following on from the 3 previous” Gatherings” we were expecting a downturn in attendance as the weather forecast ranged from heavy rain to showers depending upon when you checked it. So, we braced ourselves for a much smaller event, but it turned out to be better than we expected. The weather remained dry, although we were constantly covered with dark clouds that looked like they may drop some rain on us, but it never happened and so it remained dry.

After the usual slow start, they exhibitors and supporters started to arrive, with a steady stream from about 6:00pm to 7:30 pm. We reckon that we had around 120 vehicles turn up in total. Of these, there were around 20 classic bikes, 20 other bikes and scooters, around 40 classic cars and over 40 visiting cars, and our favourite Routemaster bus!   Vehicles of note this time included a beautiful Model A Ford, a Bull nose Morris, 2 Lotuses, a Riley, Ford Escorts, an original Mini and a UK assembled classic Citroen – amongst others. On the motorcycles we had a BSA C12, BMW R27 (single), 2 Moto Guzzis, a Royal Enfield 250 and others.

However, there was one “star” of the show which was a 1942 Jeep that Colin Easson Motors had restored and rebuilt for the upcoming Channel 5 programme “Locked & loaded” – which is due to be screened in October. The film crew were in attendance at the “Gathering” and recorded Roly Easson and the owner, Chris Hamilton, talking about the car and the project, and then negotiating with a dealer the sale of the finished Jeep.   A raffle was held in aid of Air Ambulance, and our thanks again go to Loreen for again persuading people to part with their cash and buy tickets, and to all organisers and supporters for their help and contributions, whether it was behind the bar, proving hot food, cakes or teas – Thank You. Chris Hamilton from Barnsdale won the bottle of Scotch, and Paul Jenkins a bottle of wine.

Anyone wishing to volunteer their time to be a Marshal/helper should contact Martin on 813717. The final “Gathering” for this year will be on September 18^th.  A special “Thank you” also to everyone who has supported the event – especially as the weather looked to be against us. We appreciate you venturing out with your “pride and joys” and we hope to see you next month (the last “Gathering” of 2014) – and try and bring a friend!!

 

 

The Third ‘Gathering’ – 17 July, 2014

Having now had 2 “Gatherings” behind us, the third was hopefully going to run as smoothly as the previous 2. After all, we had asked for good weather, lots of exhibitors and much support all round. Well, we were not disappointed as the weather was outstanding, and the supporters were there in numbers. Again, we exceeded our previous number thus making this the best attended “Gathering” so far. Long may the trend continue!

After the usual slow start, the exhibitors and supporters started to arrive, with a steady stream from about 6:00pm to 8:30 pm. We reckon that we had around 150 vehicles turn up in total. Of these, there were around 30 classic bikes and scooters, 31 other bikes and scooters, around 45 classic cars and over 40 visiting cars, oh, and 1 tractor! The numbers aren’t accurate as Roly brought half a vehicle and we were not sure how to count it – or even if to count it! However, the half-car (Jeep) has an interesting story that will unfold on TV later this year.

Other vehicles of note included a beautiful turquoise and cream Autobianchi car (the only one running on UK roads at present), a 3 wheeler Morgan with v-twin Matchless engine, a Ferrari, Lotus, Corvette, De Tomaso, many gorgeous Jaguars, Fiat 500’s and so many more too numerous to detail. On 2 wheels we had a classic Sunbeam, James, Harley Davidsons, BSAs, Triumphs, Ducatis, Suzukis, Yamahas, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki, Matchless, AJS, and many more. It was also nice to see 11 scooters come along.

A raffle was held in aid of Air Ambulance, and our thanks go to Loreen and Gilbert for their very generous donations of the prizes, and again to Loreen for persuading people to part with their cash and buy tickets. Alan Edgar from Lincoln won the bottle of Champagne, and Ken Edward from Greetham won a bottle of wine.

Our thanks, as always go to the supporters of the “Gathering”. Again, special note is made of the excellent food and drinks on offer, and a “Thank you” to all visitors for respecting the rural location and the need to drive responsibly. Here’s to the fourth “Gathering” on August 21st so put it in your diary and bring (or send!) a friend. Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

Future Gatherings

After each gathering we shall update this section with pictures and details of that event.