My son, Tom, and I have been presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive one of the British Motor Museum’s Veteran cars on the 2024 London to Brighton Run. The car we will be driving, P909, is the oldest Rover ever made.

Tom and I represent “bookends” of the normal driving career. Tom, aged 22, is near the beginning and I, aged 69, am near the other end. For Tom this is an experience that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. For me, it is a bucket list challenge that frankly, I never thought I would get the opportunity to achieve. The Museum has given us the opportunity and it aligns with two of their core aspirations.

The British Motor Museum is home to over 400 historic British cars and memorabilia spanning the Classic, Vintage and Veteran eras. The Museum is a registered educational charity, telling the story of the motor industry in Britain, celebrating the cars the industry has produced and the incredible people who designed and built them. In addition, the Museum delivers learning programmes to inspire young people, outreach reminiscence sessions at care homes and dementia cafes as well as volunteering opportunities that encourage the development of new skills and help to combat loneliness. Tom and I sit very well within these principles.

The London to Brighton Run is on Sunday 3rd November 2024. It starts at 7.00am in Hyde Park, London and finishes on Madeira Drive, Brighton. We hope to arrive anytime between 1.00pm and 3.00pm.

Whilst the Run is not as physical as a marathon, it is some 60 miles driving in an open top veteran car without the usual refinements of a modern car, such as heating! No doubt the British weather will throw all it can at us. This isn’t going to be an easy drive and we ask you to please give generously to support us.

The target is a modest £1,500 but Tom and I will be matching donations pound for pound so it has the chance to rise to £3,000. The proceeds will go direct to the British Motor Museum.

Please help us to give something back to the Museum to help them carry on the wonderful job of preserving our motor heritage and inspiring the next generation.

Steve Vaughan