The Queens Arms Corton Denham
Requests for Dorset region to display at local car shows are not uncommon. However when Gordon Reid came to our monthly meeting, there was something a little different about the invite to a show at The Queens Arms, Corton Denham. It was called ‘Cars, Coffee, and Cake’, which immediately sold it to many of our members. We also heard that he is a Porsche driver – but NOT a member of PCGB! We had to do something about that.
To say it is in the backwaters of Somerset/Dorset is an understatement (I for one drove on roads with grass growing down the middle) but nothing bad enough to prevent anyone getting there.
Never mind all that, what you really want to know is what the cake was like? It was gorgeous - and it wasn’t just cake, there were some very fine Dorset sausage rolls and other food to delight our taste-buds. A live band accompanied us and in the front of the pub and in the show field, one of the most diverse collections of cars I have ever seen! It is unusual to see a vintage Rolls parked next to a relatively new Corvette or a Porsche Speedster replica.
Lunch at the Bridgehouse Hotel
Our annual R26 lunch at our favourite location, once again we enjoyed great company, faultless surroundings and wonderful food at Mark and Jo Donovan’s hotel in Beaminster. Thanks to the hosts and all the staff at The Bridgehouse for making us all so welcome and sending us home nicely full of fine food!
June meeting and annual BBQ
Unusually fine weather for an R26 BBQ greeted us for this annual soiree at the George Albert Hotel and the result was a fine display of Porsches in the car-park and 55 members and guests for once having the opportunity to enjoy their food al fresco should they so wish. As per usual, we were well looked after by the hotel staff and a good time was had by all, with enough chat, laughs, food and drink to satisfy everybody. A highlight of the evening was the auction of a signed copy of Magnus Walker’s biography ‘Dirt Don’t Slow You Down’, snared by Tref at the Porsche celebrity’s recent appearance at Porsche east London (Magnus, that is, not Tref – although we think he’s a celeb.!). Tref was a masterful auctioneer who managed to squeeze £60 out of Phil and Martina, with all proceeds going to the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.
West Somerset Railway and Dunster Castle
And what a trip it turned out to be and once home and relaxing on the Sunday, we were discussing what it was that made it such a fantastic day. Could it be that it was the first proper trip out of the year, the relaxing steam train journey, the number of relatively new members on the trip, the castle, the gardens, the fantastic food, or maybe the fairy-tale bridges and working watermill?
It was all of the above, really, the trip had the lot – and I haven’t mentioned what a picturesque village Dunster is. There was so much to see and do, and where so often you are constantly bumping into other members of the club, we hardly saw anyone! Did I mention the folly? Or the adventure playground which was suitable for children and adults, hence perfect for our young at heart members to enjoy too! We dashed around the tea-room, the watermill, the playground, the house, the gardens, the reservoir, met the ghost in the crypt (I didn’t mention those two did I?!) and it was only on the train back, hearing others recounting their day, that we realised how much we had missed.
Porsche Bournemouth 40th Birthday Gala Evening
Over 100 people attended Porsche Bournemouth’s 40th birthday celebrations at Ferndown and a superb evening was enjoyed by all, with fine food, excellent musical entertainment and an after-dinner talk by our own championship-winning racing driver, Mike Wilds. With all proceeds going to charity, an auction and raffle helped push the sum raised to over £9,000 to be shared between MacMillan cancer support and the Dorset Children’s Foundation. Here’s to the next 40 years PCB (I wonder if Tref will still be RO…)
Beaulieu Simply Porsche
Great weather ensured hundreds of cars descended upon Beaulieu for the 4th (or is it 5th?) running of the ‘Simply Porsche’ event. With an example of just about every type of Porsche ever made, trade stands, open access to the museum, special displays, grounds and all the other facilities at this wonderful facility – and a drive through the New Forest to get there, this event just goes from strength to strength.
Weymouth Transport of Yesteryear
Eeight of us from R26 were at the Transport of Yesteryear show on Weymouth Promenade. Members of TOY’s kindly help us with the marshalling of our own Weymouth event, WeyPoP, so we were keen to return the favour by showing up with some of our cars. The ruling is pre 1990, but it isn’t restricted to Porsche, so for some it was an opportunity to take out ‘the other car’. It also highlighted the variety we have become used to with the modern cars in our midst – at Weymouth a solitary 944 turbo broke up the gathering of air-cooled 911s. None of which did anything to detract from the day. TOYs were raising money for the Dorset Air Ambulance, which as you know is the primary beneficiary of any fundraising we do in Dorset. In their regular announcements, our support of their event was regularly mentioned, including pointing out those of us in other cars, which gave us all a great feeling of belonging in their event.