Region 18 is one of the most active regions putting events together and attending events with other car clubs. We organise two meeting per month in Cumbria and Lancashire as we cover such a large geographic area. The monthly meeting at Garstang Golf Club, just off the A6 about 5 miles north of Preston, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month starts at 19.45. After the presentation we provide refreshments and hold a raffle to boost regional funds. Usually around 40 members, including wives and partners, attend these meetings. In addition we hold social meetings around Cumbria on the first Tuesday of the month starting at 19.30. You may have seen a brief extract of events held in a previous version of this section so far this year but this is what we actually done so far in 2015.
At our January monthly meeting at Garstang Golf Club we were entertained by ARO and Display Register Secretary Mac Mcleod who talked about the cars he has owned and about his time in National Service in the RAF and the adventures he had in several countries. The social meeting was held at the Castle Inn, Bassentwaite.
In February we joined Region 5 on a visit to Ninemeister near Warrington for a tour of their excellent facilities and to see the variety of cars they services and restore. They manufacture 993 Speedsters to special order, and there was an excellent example in a bright orange colour waiting to be sold. We also joined Region 5 for a weekend at Portmeirion on the Sunday of the month and many of use stayed over in Portmeirion Hotel and had dinner and lots of good banter and fellowship. On the next to last Sunday of each month we join Preston Sports and Supercar Club for a breakfast at the Phantom Winger at Fulwood, Preston. In the winter months the event starts at 10.00 there are about 40 sports and supercars there with the numbers rising to about 80/90 in spring and summer when the get together starts at 9.00.
March saw us joining TIPEC members on a drive to Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary hear Rochdale. We all took items of food and toys for the many dogs, cats , donkeys and even chicken and rabbits that were in the waiting to be adopted. The March monthly meeting was a visit to Lee Mayor Restorations based just outside Preston, rather than being at Garstang Golf Club. Lee and his father have been restoring Porsches and English sports cars to an extremely high standard for a number of years. Lee’s own Porsche won car actually won the PCGB national Concours in 2001 and he has prepared cars that have won the Benson & Hedges National Concours as well as the Autoglym – Champion of Europe Awards. The Social meeting this month was held at the Greenhill’s Hotel, Wigton.
Our April Monthly meeting was our annual New Members Night when all the members who have joined in the previous 18 months are invited personally to this event and to meet existing members. 60 members listened to the very professional presentation by Porsche owner and TIPEC member Norman Harris about his trip across the USA on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. At the end of April we joined Region 3 at Sally’s Café at Warwick Bridge near Carlisle for a coffee before driving over to david Hayton Prestige Cars in Carlisle for a tour of their facilities.
May events started off with attendance at a very wet Scorton Bikes & Barrows Classic car Show, near Garstang. Due to the poor weather the number of car clubs taking part was low, as were the number of spectators. R18 however had a good afternoon having lunch and chatting in the dry in a café in Scorton. On bank Holiday Monday we joined Region 5 and TPEC, together with many other classic car clubs at the annual Gawsworth hall Classic car Show, near Macclesfield. This was followed the nigh after by the social meeting at Greenhill’s Hotel, Wigton where we had a joint meeting with Cumbria jaguar Club and Cumbria Classic Car Club.
Several members joined the Scottish and Irish PCGB members on a weekend at Gairloch In the north west of Scotland. The following weekend was another classic car show at Kendal organised by Elite Motors, where over 2300 cars attended. Also joining the even was a contingent of 50 cars was the Gentleman’s Jolly Car Club who had driven up from London.
The monthly meeting in May was attendance at Jasmine Porschalink Open evening in Nelson where around 220 people were given a tour of Jasmine’s facilities, saw a fine selection of Porsche which were either customer cars or were projects that had been undertaken by Jasmine. We were provided with a complimentary hog roast, a with donations to Pendleside Hospice. In addition a raffle was held, the proceeds again going to Pendleside Hospice. During the evening there was a presentation from Kev Howarth from HERO (Historic Endurance Rally Organisation) about classic rallying.
Events for May finish off with a track day at Angelsey follow on the Sunday by joining other Regions at Llandudno for Porsches on the Prom where there should be around 200 Porsche parking on Llandudno Promenade. Porsche Centre Bolton kindly loaned several of their demonstration cars for Region 18 members to use for the weekend to go to this event.