It was lovely to see so many members and their cars at this year’s event helping celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Club, especially to the members who made the extra effort to travel long distances! The weather gods blessed us with fantastic weather, apart from the few members who got caught in isolated thunderstorms on their way home.
On the Saturday members gathered at Coventry Motor Museum to peruse the delights of the museum; we were all impressed by the museum and were pleasantly surprised by how improved it was since last time members had visited. I won’t spoil it for anyone who is going to go and visit but there is a good selection of Lea-Francis products on display, from cars of provenance and historic importance to lovely examples and even cut away Lea-Francis engines.
Once members had all had lunch and a catch up in the café they tackled Sarah Poynter’s road run following the route instructions back to the Holt Hotel.
After navigating their way out of Coventry and round closed roads (with varying degrees of success), the route followed some quiet rural roads with interesting landmarks that meant a lovely afternoon of motoring in the sun. The Holt Hotel welcomed us back and did a delightful job of hosting us. Sarah conducted the Club’s AGM where special thanks were paid to Colin and Angela Daw and Rod Holt for their long-standing service to the Club, having stood down from their committee roles. The Club is nothing without its members giving their time, so once again thank you. After the AGM there was time to catch up with LFOC friends in the bar before the Club dinner.
The food was appetising, and the banqueting suite was lively with much laugher. We also took the time to celebrate the Club’s 70th Anniversary and Colin Poynter, as the son of founding member Keith Poynter, gave a speech about the Club, its history and what it personally meant to him. He emphasised that it isn’t just a club for cars, but a group of caring and committed members who make it very special. This is something I feel I must again echo and that the LFOC is like an extended family united through Lea-Francis where help and friendship is only a LFOC member away.
On the Sunday, members gathered at Broughton Castle for our annual rally. As already mentioned, the weather was perfect and there was a positive, friendly, happy atmosphere with members and their families mingling with each other, enjoying the day.
With all our members’ vehicles on display, it was a stunning sight. The driving tests this year even included a big 70 to navigate to commemorate the 70th anniversary and this year the role of the navigator became especially important with time being deducted for successfully completing tasks (assuming the driver got them into the right position). Something which mixed up the results. This, accompanied by some very enthusiastic drivers, made taking part entertaining and amusing to watch for spectators. Once again, the band were in fine form providing a soundtrack to the day. All this, topped off with tea and cake in the marquee, made for a great day.
Judging commenced and was once again made difficult by the quality of vehicles on display. A full list of winners is below. Thank you to all of you that came along and made the weekend a success. Special mention goes to Sarah Poynter for organising the super fun road run, Colin and Angela Daw for manning the marquee and keeping a steady flow of tea, coffee and cake on hand, and to you the members for coming along to enjoy the weekend.
Finally, the proposed date of next year’s weekend will be 8th/9th June 2024. Put it into your diaries now.
Tom Baston
Competition Secretary