Gearing up for Festival of Motoring
Thousands of classic car enthusiasts are set to descend on Stratford at the weekend as the town’s annual festival of motoring rolls into town.
More than 300 fantastic vehicles will be displayed by their proud owners and visitors will get the chance to see anything from a 1920s Rolls-Royce to a police patrol car from the States.
Ruth Wood from event organiser Stratforward BID, said: “Our Festival of Motoring has proved to be a huge hit for car lovers of all ages and this year’s event promises to be the biggest and best yet with loads going on for all the family.”
The festival will take place on Sunday and Monday and many of the cars will be taking part in a cavalcade through Bridge Street, Waterside, Sheep Street, High Street and Wood Street at 1pm on both days.
Other highlights on the day include a Land Rover remote control car experience and dream rides in a range of cars such as a Beach Buggy, Porsche and Lotus, in exchange for a donation to the Shakespeare Hospice.
Stratford resident and TV motoring journalist, Quentin Willson, will wave the cars off from the leisure centre each morning before their countryside run and will provide commentary of the cavalcade as it passes around the town each afternoon.
The event will have a very family friendly feel with activities such as go-karting and a free treasure hunt taking place.
One enthusiast certain to enjoy the day is Peter Skinner, from Harvington near Evesham, who is bringing his 1070 VW Karmann Ghia to the event.
Peter said: “I did the Stratford Festival of Motoring a couple of years ago and it’s one that I like because there are lots of different types of cars.
“It’s always good to talk to motoring enthusiasts especially those who know what my car is as they were never that common. It was a car that I admired when I was a young man and I’d always hoped to have one one day. I bought this one nearly 20 years ago from a lady who was working in California as a computer programmer.
“She came back to England and decided to bring the car with her so drove it across America to Florida so that she could put it on a boat to bring home.”
The fun starts at 9.30am each day when the cars start arriving back in town after an early morning tour of the Cotswolds.
The festival is free to attend and cars will be on display from Rother Street all the way down to Waterside.
Road closures will be in place between 7am and 5pm on Union Street, Bridge Street, Meer Street, Henley Street, Sheep Street, Waterside, High Street and Wood Street on both days.
