Seaside Holiday

The Classic British Seaside Holiday

Our Northern Rally was a combined stand at the Classic Car Spectacular event, held at Tatton Park in Cheshire, over the weekend of June 1st & 2nd, 2024

Once again we worked with our friends in The Wolseley Owners Club and The Landcrab Owners Club International.

Having three clubs together means we have one of the biggest stands at the show (900 square metres) and we can afford luxuries like a substantial marquee, with free refreshments.

I like to have a theme to our stands, rather than just parking cars in rows. Last year we won Best Club Stand for our “Jubilee Motors” theme, with the stand setup like a 1960’s car dealership. This year I thought it would be novel to celebrate “The Classic British Seaside Holiday”

I was inspired by the old newsreels of cars heading to the seaside, loaded with luggage and setting up on the beach with their deckchairs and windbreakers.

Many members collect period accessories like picnic sets, rugs and transistor radios - it was a great excuse to get them out on display!


I loved the idea of roof racks and have one for old Betsy that I’d never used. I picked-up a vintage “De-Mob” suitcase, deckchairs and windbreakers from flea-markets and local Facebook pages. 

Other members joined-in with their roof-racks, luggage and period accessories to form an impressive front-row to the stand.

I was ticking-off all the seaside stereotypes in my head and then came up with one that surely wasn’t possible - Donkey Rides??

I was certain that these were consigned to the history books, but after a bit of investigation I came upon Alwood Donkey Sanctuary on the Wirral. They were really excited about the idea of sending a team of donkeys and handlers to our event! My next job was convincing Mortons, the event organisers, that I was serious about bringing donkeys (they don't get that type of request from the High-Brow clubs

It took a few days, but they admitted they could see no reason why not - as long as someone followed behind with a bucket and shovel!


Another secret vice of mine is the saucy seaside postcards that were prevalent in the 1960’s and 70’s. I have quite a few with an automotive theme and thought it would be fun to display those on our stand. This involved blowing them up to A3 size on mounting on poles to be stuck in the ground at regular intervals, enticing the viewers deeper onto the stand. These were very politically incorrect and anti-woke but I think people found it refreshing that British humour could be celebrated in that way. (I was half-expecting some complaints!) Thanks to John Dickson for organising the printing and laminating of the cards.


A final touch was a sand-castle area for the children. I bought a small paddling pool, bags of play sand, buckets, spades, flags and windmills. It was amazing how many families sat and played in the sand amongst the cars.

I think my main takeaway from the weekend was the smiles on the kids' faces as they rode the donkeys around the stand, closely followed by beaming parents taking photos and building lasting memories of a great weekend!

Eddie Foster