West Berkshire Classic Vehicle car show returns to Newbury Racecourse

HORSEPOWER of a different kind was at Newbury Racecourse when West Berkshire Classic Vehicle Club’s (WBCVC) annual show returned last weekend.

Up to 400 vehicles were on display on Sunday, including Dodge Darts, a Ford Model T, a 1937 Leyland fire engine, steam engines and Land Rovers.

The show moved from Newbury College to the racecourse in 2019, but was postponed last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

WBCVC chairman Mike Kent said: “It went very well considering. At about 8am I thought we’re not going to get anyone in today. I’m amazed so many turned out to support us.

“There seemed to be a lot of people who were glad to see it back and know it was going to carry on. So many things have been suspended and people have decided against doing them again.

“Quite a lot of people seem to like it down there. It’s a little bit easier to find and has a bit more space.

“We have got a lovely following of people who come to support what we support.”

The show raises money for Blood Cancer UK (formerly Bloodwise) and the club has raised more than £150,000 since its inception in 1993.

The club is yet to tally up its fundraising total for this year but Mr Kent said it was looking good.

It made some alterations with the limited time available to organise the event this year, asking for donations from exhibitors, and reduced the entry fee owing to additional financial burdens on people wanting to visit the show.

Mr Kent said: “We normally do a chairman’s choice but we decided against it this year. The whole thing was a bit of a rush. We normally have about eight months… this year we had about eight weeks.”

The show was the brainchild of Dave Mills, who organised the first Leukaemia Classic Vehicle Show at Newbury Racecourse in 1993.