If you were with us for the run, we may have taken a photo of your MG at the start.  These photos are available to purchase for £6 each and all the proceeds will go to charity (i.e. for every photo, £6 will go to charity). 

All the photos that participants ordered have now been printed and posted.  If you have not received yours, please email Kim with the details including your name, address, phone number, Registration Number and the colour of your MG.  She will sort the problem for you.

If you lost the request form and wish to receive your photo, please download the form here , print it out and, having completed it, send it to us with a cheque (the address is on the form).

A few words from the Surrey Run Organiser, Nigel Swann

Having spent many months in preparation and with about 40 members involved in the planning and implementation of the Epsom Area MGOC SURREY RUN 2011, during the last few days my attention is always turned to that part of the event that we can’t influence, the weather.  We had chosen Painshill Park as the finishing venue and the wonderful landscapes certainly look their best on a fine sunny day.  Saturday was forecast as wet, and Sunday the 17th, the day of our run, was expected to be “mixed”.

We had just over 200 cars pre registered with a few more arriving on the day.  Once again the start point was hosted by Bocketts Farm, near Leatherhead in Surrey, where a trip to the restaurant for the legendary bacon bap was still a vital part of the preparation before departure.  The registration team worked with their usual efficiency and were ready to hand out the route instructions and rally plates as the early cars started to arrive.  With the sky slightly grey but with no rain, the cars assembled.  This vast array ranged from the very new MG6 from the MG dealership SMC, to Dave Naylor’s 1930’s L2 Magna.  We were also joined by Louise and Ray DeTournay from California, touring Europe in their 1954 MG TF.  They had met, bought the car and married in France in the late 1950’s.  During the last month they had shipped the car from home to Le Havre, renewed their wedding vows and were on their way back to the USA via Dover having covered 3234 miles on this trip of a lifetime.

Malcolm Childs, our “Checker” was the first to leave at 8.30, well before the other participants, and to my relief reported that there were no holdups.  As in previous years, every car had the opportunity of passing under the official start banner where Kevin was ready to capture the moment on camera before starting the Run.  I asked Foggy and Alexis to select a convenient point on the route for those great shots that you see with cars coming at you, preferably round a bend in the road.  Foggy did a great job and I am trying to choose a couple from at least 30 examples.  The last car set off from Bocketts at about 11am.  The rain then started just in time for us to decamp and meet Ray with his team of Epsom marshals, already in place at the finish.

The entry fee for the Surrey Run also included admission to Painshill Park.  The gardens cover an area of 158 acres and were landscaped by Charles Hamilton.  Hamilton started in 1738 and the project took him over 35 years to complete, resulting in financial ruin.  With a number of follies and the lake as the central feature, visitors are able to see the remarkable restoration of this beautiful grade 2 landscape that started in 1981. After a journey of just over 70 miles, on arrival, our Epsom marshalling team had set up the welcoming arrangements for participants, leading to the dedicated MG parking within the Painshill grounds.  This included a small group gathered around Eric’s car, working out why his brake lights were not working.  At this stage the weather turned to what may generously be described as “mixed”.  We had a range of brief flashes of quite warm sunshine to heavy down pours with thunder.  This did not deter us, and many ventured away from a spectacular display of sports cars to discover the rather damp achievements of Charles Hamilton.

At the start of the Run, each driver was given a Prize Draw ticket containing their unique run number to be handed in as they passed the finish post.  When everyone had arrived, Sarah Hallett, representing our host at Painshill, conducted a selection of winners.  Three tickets were randomly chosen as follows. Entry number 72, Andrew Atkinson won First Prize, a store voucher for £25.  Entry number 171, Will Hollingsworth won Second Prize, a voucher for £15, and entry number 184, Chris Cuss, won Third Prize, a voucher for £10.  Sarah also added an extra prize of a return family entry ticket to Painshill Park that was won by entry number 154, Paul Phillips.  This was not the end of the prizes.  Zack Summer representing the MG dealership, SMC based at Windsor, had driven a new company MG6 on the run.  He announced that he was also willing to select another random entry from the participants for yet another prize consisting of use of the new car for a week.  Would you believe, this was won by Epsom members, Geoff and Lynne Trigger.

My thanks once again go to everyone for what I thought was a fantastic demonstration of support and teamwork at its best under difficult circumstances.  Our friendliness and efficiency was noticed by the participants and once again there were many comments on how much they enjoyed the route.  On behalf of the Epsom Area I would like to thank Bocketts Farm and Painshill Park for providing the start and end points of the route this year. We are grateful to all our friends and MG enthusiasts for their continued interest and involvement with the Epsom Area MGOC. My thanks go to everyone who joined us for this event.  The Epsom Area has always had a commitment to fund raising for local deserving charities. By taking part in the Surrey Run, you have provided valuable support in helping us achieve our goals for yet another year. I do hope that you enjoyed the day and I look forward to seeing you all again next July for the SURREY RUN 2012.

NIGEL SWANN
 

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Surrey Run 2010

The Surrey Run 2010 was on Sunday 18th July

and went to

Once again,  members of the Epsom Area MGOC organised this popular annual charity fund raising event.  The Surrey Run offered great value with a route of about 80 miles through the Surrey, Sussex and Kent countryside. 

The run started as usual at Bocketts Farm, Fetcham, near Leatherhead in Surrey. 
The scenic route covered a distance of about 80 miles and finished at the Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent.  

Unfortunately, we had to limit numbers to the first 250 applicants because of the limitations of space at the start and the finish. 

The entry price for the run was £17 and included:
Route Instruction booklet
Rally plate
Entry into the prize draw
entry to the Historic Dockyard Chatham for your MG, the driver and passenger.

If you were with us for the run, we took a photo of your MG at the start.  These photos are available to purchase for £6 each and all the proceeds will go to charity (i.e. for every photo, £6 will go to charity). 

All the photos that participants ordered have now been printed and posted.  If you have not received yours, please email Kim with the details including your name, address, phone number, Registration Number and the colour of your MG.  She will sort the problem for you.

If you lost the request form and wish to receive your photo, please download the form here , print it out and, having completed it, send it to us with a cheque (the address is on the form).

Firstly, a few words from our Chairman, Eric Nicholls:

"This year’s Surrey Run is going to be a hard act to follow. Over 250 MGs pre-booked for the event but very surprisingly there were 35 no-shows on the day.  We were pleased to welcome Simon Goldsworthy, editor of MG Enthusiast magazine as our guest for the day.  He was very busy photographing the MGs and interviewing owners, so look out for his report in a forthcoming edition of MG Enthusiast. 

The start was again from Bocketts Farm, this year finishing at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, where we received a lot of help and assistance from the staff there, which contributed to a successful outcome on the day. 

On arrival at the finish, all the MGs were parked inside the Dockyard, in and amongst the exhibits.  It proved to be a very popular venue with many of the run entrants taking advantage of the special ropery and air raid tours, as well as the freedom to view all the exhibits on the site at leisure.  Run entrants were full of praise for the overall organisation of the event, especially the choice of the finish, the excellent route and the warm and friendly welcome received from the Epsom members.  Many said that they intended to return to the Dockyard as they had had insufficient time to see it all. 

Nigel Swann was his usual efficient self organising and controlling the event; John ‘Foggy’ Brooke provided an excellent route and Pat Watson ably managed the administration and registration of run entrants.  The start team at Bocketts Farm received the MGs and Kim Shrosbree photographed nearly 200 of them as they commenced their 80 mile journey to Chatham.  Ray Reeves’ team were kept very busy and did an excellent job of receiving and parking run entrants on arrival at The Dockyard and Paul Coleman hauled all the equipment required at the start.  Special thanks are due to Malcolm Childs and John and Alexis Brooke for manning a diversion 8 miles from the finish for several hours and helping some 2,000 vehicles to find their way. 

To Nigel and over 30 Epsom members involved in the planning and helping at the start and finish and to the members who entered the run, I offer my sincere thanks and congratulations. It was without doubt the most successful Surrey Run to date, which will have raised funds for our annual charitable donations, but more importantly has once again promoted the Epsom Area in the most positive way.  Well done everyone, you should take great pride and credit for your individual contributions to the event."

And now the Surrey Run Organiser, Nigel Swann, has a few more words:

"Following a few weeks of exceptionally warm dry weather, we were subjected to a rather mixed pattern in the days leading up to the 18th July, a date set for the Epsom Area MGOC, SURREY RUN 2010. As usual, I had been checking the 5 day forecast, and Sunday did seem to have a break, with television graphics showing an array of shining suns in the South East of England. I was particularly interested in this area as we had chosen the Historic Dockyard at Chatham as the finishing venue for SURREY 2010. 

As in previous years, the start point was again hosted by Bocketts Farm near Leatherhead in Surrey. When I woke up at 6am it looked rather dull and on the way to Bocketts farm we certainly had a spot of rain. With 254 cars booked in, the registration facilities were operational with route instructions and rally plates being handed out for the first departures by about 9am. We also had a Chatham Dockyard “Information Point”, providing details of the guided Victorian Ropery and Air Raid tours that had been added for our MG visit.  Our special guest this year was Simon Goldsworthy, the Editor of MG Enthusiast. Simon arrived early and was soon busy interviewing some of our participants and photographing their cars. For those of you who take this magazine it is worth looking out during the next couple of months for his “Surrey 2010” article. As in previous years, every car had the opportunity of passing under the official start banner before starting the Run. As clouds cleared and the sun began to break through, this moment was captured by Kim, who was ready to photograph each car as it set off. If you have not already ordered a copy of your special photo, then please contact Kim Shrosbree with your registration number on 07831 427 515. For a small sum she can still provide you with a memento of this occasion.

The route was carefully planned by Foggy our Route Master, and assisted by Alexis. It was then independently checked prior to publication. This route was then re run by the “Master” on Friday 16^th before our event and just to be safe, Malcolm Childs, our “Checker” was the first to leave on Sunday 18th.  What a system you may say. Well, you can imagine my thoughts when Malcolm reached a roundabout at mileage 71.2 on the route and reported to me that the road was closed and there was a diversion due to re-surfacing work. Foggy and Alexis sped off at great speed taking a short cut to join Malcolm in order to guide our SURREY RUN participants around this incident. They did this most successfully and my congratulations go to them all as, on their return, I heard from Malcolm that they had given assistance to about 2,500 motorists including many going to an Indian wedding!

The entry fee for the Surrey Run also included admission to the Historic Dockyard. On arrival Ray, and our Epsom marshalling team, had set up the welcoming arrangements leading to the dedicated MG parking within the Chatham complex. I did receive a telephone call from Foggy, who was still at the diversion point, to enquire how many more cars we were to expect at Chatham. I declined to supply the answer as I had just overheard a similar question from Ray to Joyce on the local site radio (I think Ray must have caught her at a busy moment). There were some beautiful examples of MG models taking part in the Run this year where they formed an amazing sight being displayed between the historic ships. The Dockyard represents over 400 years of naval history from 1588, when Chatham prepared the ships of the Elizabethan Navy for battles against the Spanish Armada until the dockyard’s official closure in 1984. With historic warships, a working 19th century ropery and many other galleries and attractions, it is no wonder that most of our visitors spent four to five hours wandering around the 80 acre site on a glorious sunny afternoon.

At the start of the Run, each driver was given a Prize Draw ticket containing their unique run number to be handed in as they passed the finish post. When everyone had arrived, Olivia Horner representing our host at the Historic Dockyard, conducted a selection of winners. As you can see from the results Epsom have come up trumps again. Three tickets were randomly chosen as follows: Entry number 17, Mick Sluman won First Prize, a voucher for £25. Entry number 11, Malcolm Nicholls (no relation to Eric) won Second Prize, a voucher for £15, and entry number 217, Chris and Julie Fletcher, won Third Prize, a voucher for £10.

My thanks once again go to everyone for what I thought was a fantastic demonstration of teamwork at its best. This was noticed by the participants on the Run and the staff at the Historic Dockyard. I do hope that you all enjoyed the day and I must now start thinking about 2011."

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Surrey Run 2009

The Surrey Run 2009 was on Sunday 19th July.

and went to

The run started as usual at Bocketts Farm, Fetcham, near Leatherhead in Surrey. 
The scenic route covered a distance of about 85 miles and finish at the Amberley Working Museum in Sussex.  

Firstly, a few words from our Chairman, Eric Nicholls:

"This year we had to close the registration before the event, as 260 MGs were signed up for the run.  There were a few no-shows which was probably due to the uncertain weather forecast, but 230 cars left Bocketts Farm on the 83 mile journey to the Amberley Working Museum.  Once again we were pleased to welcome Richard Ladds, editor of Enjoying MG, who this year was accompanied by his wife, for taking the time and trouble to travel from Cambridge to support the run.  There was one entry from Scotland and one from Swansea.  As in previous years, run entrants were full of praise for the overall organisation of the event, for the route itself and for the warm and friendly welcome from the Epsom membership.

Nigel Swann again organised and controlled the planning of the event most effectively and was always confident that we would meet this year’s target of 250 cars, which of course we achieved.  John Brooke worked out another excellent route and Pat Watson had the administration and registration well in hand.  The start team were kept busy at Bocketts Farm and Kim Shrosbree was hard pressed taking photographs of all the MGs as they left for Amberley.  Ray Reeves and his team did an excellent job of receiving and parking the run entrants on arrival at Amberley and Paul Coleman and Bryan Young moved all the necessary kit at both ends.

To Nigel and every member involved in the planning and at the start and finish, and to those Epsom members who supported the event by entering the run, sincere thanks and congratulations are in order.  It was a very successful event, which not only raised funds for our annual charitable donations, but also promoted the Epsom Area in such a positive way.  Well done everyone."

And now the Surrey Run Organiser, Nigel Swann, has a few more words:

"As you all know, in order to maintain interest in this run, we seek out a varied finish destination and for the 19th July this year we chose “Amberley Working Museum” in Sussex.  Our main charity fund raising event has grown in popularity over the years such that we have had to take the difficult decision to limit entry numbers to a practical limit.  As we approached our target, I relented at the last minute and allowed a few more to register on the basis that it was as much work to send their money back as to try and accommodate them.  I am pleased to say that we were able to sign up most of the applicants with just a few disappointments who, I am sure, will be booking in plenty of time next year.

Bocketts once again came up trumps, offering all the vital requirements including a suitable field for parking, decent loos and restaurant to prepare the participants for the day ahead.  The weather forecast was a little mixed for Sunday and when I woke up at 6am it certainly looked a bit dull.  A fresh wind made putting up the registration gazebos and start banner quite exciting, but except for a brief spot of rain, the day was very kind to us.  Soon after 8am the first of over 260 pre registered cars arrived and the parking area quickly filled.  I was pleased that Richard Ladds, the editor of “Enjoying MG” was able to join us again.  This year Richard and his wife arrived driving Roche Bentley’s RV8 as Richard’s own MGF was suffering a head gasket problem.  This event always follows a predictable, relaxed format with the participants making new friends or chatting with enthusiasts that they already know.

Having booked in and armed with the route plan and rally plate every car had the opportunity of passing under the official start banner with the moment being captured by Kim, who was ready to photograph each car as it set off on the run.  If you have not already ordered a copy of your special photo, then please contact Kim with your registration number on 07831 427 515 or kimshros@mail.com.  For £5 (all of which goes to charity) she can still provide you with a memento of this occasion.

Pat and her registration team made a smooth job of booking everyone in and we waved the first cars off at about 9.30am.  A steady stream continued leaving until about 11.45 on Foggy’s well planned route covering a distance of about 85 miles through some of the most picturesque scenery in Surrey and Sussex.  On reaching Amberley, the participants were able to relax and take in all the features available, making the most of their day.  Our Epsom Start Team at Bocketts packed up at about noon ready to take a more direct route to the final destination.  We even had enough time to establish that one of the entrants had left his wallet in the loo.  I am pleased to say that the wallet and owner were soon reunited.

Ray Reeves and his very able marshalling team at Amberley had set up the welcoming arrangements including familiar MG signs guiding the first arrivals towards a river side setting leading to the dedicated MG parking.  There were some beautiful examples of MG models taking part this year with a vast array ranging from the 1930’s to present day.  I was pleased to see the newly completed MGA incorporating many innovative engineering techniques, belonging to John and Barbara Hoyle.  Having arrived, many set up their picnic tables and chairs before planning the rest of their day.  The entry fee for the Surrey Run also included admission to the Museum built on the site of an old lime works, which still has the original kilns.  Hours were spent looking over the large site at a vast number of historic artefacts dating back to the 1900’s.  Amongst many others these included a 1930’s village garage, a fire station, bus garage, printing works, a building dedicated to the history of the post office and a new display covering every electrical contrivance that you could imagine.  Trips were made around the site either by steam train or vintage bus stopping off to see a number of demonstrations of local crafts and many other interesting village activities.

At the start, each driver was given a Prize Draw ticket containing their unique run number to be handed in as they passed the finish post.  When everyone had arrived, our hosts at Amberley conducted the selection of winners.  Three tickets were randomly chosen as follows.  Entry number 93, Thomas Paterson won First Prize, a voucher for £25.  Entry number 89, Mr R D Thomas won Second Prize, a voucher for £15, and entry number 44, Tony and Marion Rose, won Third Prize, a voucher for £10. 

My thanks once again go to all the Epsom Members who took part and helped to make this event so successful.  We have had lots of feedback and good comments from many participants.  I will now let you have a rest for a short while until I tell you all about the ideas I already have for next year."

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Surrey Run 2008

Surrey Run 2008 was on Sunday 13th July 2008.

And we went to the

This event started at Bocketts Farm, Fetcham near Leatherhead in Surrey.  The scenic route covered a distance of about 85 miles and finished at the BLUEBELL RAILWAY in Sussex.  

If you were with us for the run, we took a photo of your MG at the start.  These photos are available to purchase for £5 each and all the proceeds will go to charity (i.e. for every photo, £5 will go to charity). 

The photos have now all been printed and dispatched.  If you have completed and handed in the request form (given to you at the start of the run) and given us or sent us the money, you should have received yours by 18th August.  If you have not received your photo by this date, please get in touch by email.  If you lost the request form and wish to receive your photo, please download the form here , print it out and, having completed it, send it to us with a cheque (the address is on the form).

 There was special parking at Sheffield Park, the headquarters of the railway and home to the locomotive department. 

If you wish to find out more about the Bluebell Railway, please follow one of the links above to their own web site

 The following article appeared in the September edition of "Enjoying MG", The MG Owners' Club magazine.

                                                                                    NIGEL SWANN      (Epsom Area MGOC Special Events Co-ordinator)

“SURREY RUN 2008”

The weather during the early part of our summer left much to be desired.  As time approached the magic date of the 13 July we were subjected to a continuation of wet days.  This is great news for the gardeners amongst us but very bad news for the Epsom Area MGOC who have once again been planning for the traditional SURREY RUN event.  But then, guess what, the 5 day forecast predicted that on the 13^th of July the sun would shine.   Sure enough, in true tradition, the good weather followed us all day for the Epsom Area “SURREY RUN 2008”.  This event is growing each year and proving to be so popular that entry numbers have risen to record levels. Good weather also reflected the number of entrants who decided to register on the day.  It is even possible that we may have reached a practical limit, and will have to consider only including pre entries for the future so remember that old saying,  “book early to avoid disappointment” as it may well be appropriate.

As in previous years, our run is always planned to start at Bocketts Farm near Leatherhead, then cover a distance of about 85 miles through some of the most picturesque scenery in Surrey and Sussex and to finish at a place of interest.  This is where the participants can relax and take in the features available making the most of their day.    For this year our final destination was chosen to be the Bluebell Railway at Sheffield Park, which has always had that certain appeal. 

Those of us responsible for the starting arrangements at Bocketts Farm had gathered by 8.00am and were soon joined by the first participants including our guest Richard Ladds, the editor of “Enjoying MG”.  Richard had left at the crack of dawn and driven down from the MGOC in Cambridge.   Bocketts Farm is an ideal starting venue providing ample space and all the required facilities including a full English breakfast for those wishing to journey on a full stomach.  Our reception team was soon busy as the MG cars started arriving through the farm gate, quickly filling the parking area.  The “Registration Gazebo” was also a hive of activity as rally plates and route instructions were handed out following the checking of each unique run entry number.    There was a buzz of excitement as many people were meeting up with friends and acquaintances or just chatting with other like-minded enthusiasts about their favourite topic, the world of MG cars.  It was at this stage that the instruction sheets for their journey containing the typical “Tulip” type diagrams were then studied stimulating even more discussion.  Having convinced a few of the more intrepid travellers that we had tested the route many times by different Club members who had all returned safe and sound, they seemed more confident.   We waved the first cars off at about 9.30am, the designated start time, and a steady stream continued leaving until about 11.45.  Every car had the opportunity of passing under the official start banner with the moment being captured by our resident Epsom Area Editor and Photographer Kim, who was ready to photograph each car as it set off on the run.   If you have not already ordered a copy of your special photo, then please contact Kim Shrosbree with your registration number on 01372 802481.  For a small sum she can still provide you with a memento of this occasion. 

Our Epsom marshalling team at the Bluebell Railway had set up the welcoming arrangements including familiar MG signs guiding the first arrivals towards a special entrance gate leading to the dedicated MG parking.  There were some beautiful examples of MG models taking part this year with a vast array ranging from the 1930’s to present day.  Once parked, the picnic tables came out and it was time to relax in the sunshine.  The entry fee for the Surrey Run also included admission to the Railway and a special reduction on the actual train fares.  Sheffield Park is the headquarters of the railway and home to the Locomotive Department.  Here we were able to see a number of engines either awaiting restoration or being prepared for their tour of duty.  The high standard of rolling stock was a delight to see.  It does make you realize the scale of such a task compared to working on a motorcar.  Time could be taken with many other interesting exhibits including the museum or visiting the restaurant and bar before taking a nostalgic ride on a classic steam train. 

At the start, each driver was given a Prize Draw ticket containing their unique run number to be handed in as they passed the finish post.   When everyone had arrived, our hosts at the Bluebell Railway

 conducted the selection of winners.   Three tickets were randomly chosen as follows.  Entry number 148, Neil and Clare Woolhouse won  First Prize, a voucher for £25.   Entry number 124, Peter Bolser won  Second Prize, a voucher for £15, and  entry number 86, Peter Joslin, won  Third Prize, a voucher for £10.  

On behalf of the Epsom Area I would like to thank Bocketts Farm and the Bluebell Railway for providing the start and end points of this years route.  We are grateful to all our friends and MG enthusiasts for their continued interest and involvement with the Epsom Area MGOC.  My thanks go to everyone who joined us for this event.  The Epsom Area has always had a commitment to fund raising for local deserving charities.   By taking part in the Surrey Run, you have provided valuable support in helping us achieve our goals for yet another year.   I do hope that you enjoyed the day and I look forward to seeing you all again next July for the SURREY RUN 2009

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Surrey Run 2007

_____________________________________________Nigel Swann (Epsom Area MGOC Special Events Co-ordinator)