Biker News - Regularly updated

Welcome to our News section, where articles are listed below and if relevant within the categories on the right, just to make it easier for you to find what you wish to read...

Please note that the content within our News section (text and images), follows the same copyright laws/notice as all other content on the website - ie not to be reproduced (including slightly amending) without prior consent. 

 RSS Feed

Category: British Motor Museum

  1. Step back in time at the ‘Classic & Vintage Commercial’ Show - 8th and 9th June

    Posted on

    The British Motor Museum is inviting visitors to step back in time when it hosts the ‘Classic and Vintage Commercial Show’ on 8 and 9 June. The show offers visitors a rare opportunity to reminisce about days gone by and relive the vintage era by seeing hundreds of pre-2003 commercial vehicles, including lorries, vans, and pick-ups.

    The ‘Classic and Vintage Commercial Show’ is one of the largest shows of its kind in Europe and features a huge display of vehicles from vans such as Ford Transits, Morris Minors and J Types to lighter lorries from Austin, Bedford, Dodge and Ford Thames, through to heavier lorries such as AECs, Atkinsons, ERFs, Fodens and Leylands. There are models fitted with timber cabs, post-war steel cabs and even post-1960s fibreglass cabs.

    2024 marks 100 years of the Morris Commercial Lorries. Visitors can stop by the Morris Commercial Club stands during the event to see a range of these historic knights of the road.

    Over the weekend, a large commercial vehicle-related autojumble will be selling vehicle spares, photos, brochures, models, and other items. Inside there will be two sizable Indoor Model Shows featuring over 160 tables showcasing kit and scratch-built models of commercial vehicles and landscapes.

    Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum, stated, “This is an unmissable chance to look back at a huge selection of iconic historic heavy vehicles. Whether you’re a fan of commercial vehicles, interested in vintage history or want to see the commercial vehicles that were on the roads in your youth, then this show is for you.”

    Camping is available for those that want to make a weekend of it. This includes entry to the show for the driver and one passenger for the weekend. Additional tickets are available to purchase if extra passengers are required. Advance ticket prices are £16 per adult, £9 per child (5-16 years), Under 5 free, £14 per concession and £43 for a family.

    To find out more information about the show please call 01926 895300 or visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/classic-and-vintage-commercial-show

     

  2. British Motor Museum launches Young Artist competition!

    Posted on

    The British Motor Museum has launched a young artists competition to celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, ‘The Gallery 2024’. This exclusive contest gives young artists with a passion for automotive art, the chance to showcase their work at the Museum over the summer. There are three age categories for entry: under 11s, 11-16 years, and 17-25 years.

    The deadline for entries is Monday 8 July. Entries in all mediums of artwork, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and digital art are welcomed. The entry form can be found on the Museum’s website.

    The competition will be judged by an esteemed panel, including artists John Ketchell and Kate Alger, Rupert Whyte from Historic Car Art, and Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum. The winning artworks will be displayed in the Museum from Friday 26 July. The winner of each age category will also receive £50 worth of art vouchers, thanks to a generous donation from LifeWithArt.

    In addition, and thanks to the generosity of the Museum’s Founder Patron, Peter Mitchell, each winner will have the opportunity to spend half a day with one of the artists featured in the exhibition, getting tips on everything from how to set the scene for their next artwork to how to succeed with art as a career.

    Those looking for inspiration for their entry should stop by “The Gallery 2024” during their next visit to the Museum! “The Gallery 2024” is a continuing collaboration with Historic Car Art, which will run until 30 June 2024. The exhibition showcases 19 of the UK’s most talented automotive artists including Simon Britnell, Kate Alger, John Ketchell, Emma Capener and Neil Collins. The artists work with a variety of media, including acrylics, oil, watercolour, pen, and pastels.

    Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, said, "We're delighted to collaborate for a second year with Historic Car Art to showcase the work of some of Britain's most talented artists and to launch this competition alongside the exhibition. We’re looking forward to receiving some really inspiring artwork from the next generation of aspiring artists”.

    Access to the exhibition is included with standard Museum admission tickets. Museum entry is just £43 for a family in advance or £49 on the day, £16 for adults in advance or £19 on the day, £14 for concessions in advance or £17 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE. There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return at no extra cost.  To find out more information about the exhibition, please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/explore/the-gallery

     

  3. Defibrillator donated to the British Motor Museum!

    Posted on

    A defibrillator has recently been donated to the British Motor Museum by Heart Health in Business, an organisation that educates businesses on their responsibility for preventing sudden cardiac deaths. The business was set up in November 2022 by Sophie Owen, a graduate currently employed by Jaguar Land Rover. Sophie has successfully campaigned to get a defibrillator installed on her university’s campus, and has previously donated defibrillators to the University of Leicester School of Business and Ashorne Hill. 

    Sophie was just 17 when she discovered a neighbour trying to resuscitate her dad, Chris, who had collapsed outside the family home, in 2019, aged just 54. Since that sad day, Sophie has become passionate about raising awareness for Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), defibrillators and CPR, as she does not want anyone else to experience the pain she did just because the right equipment or expertise was not nearby.

    As part of the donation, all staff and volunteers at the British Motor Museum are encouraged to partake in CPR training to instruct them on how to use the defibrillator and possibly help save lives.

    Sophie Owen, said, “My dad, a keen car enthusiast and Defender 90 owner, loved to visit the British Motor Museum at any opportunity he could - especially to see any JLR products! The Museum helped fuel my dad’s hobby and provided him with joy and happy memories that I now treasure dearly. Starting at JLR in September 2023 I was so excited to spend some of my first days at the Museum and to see exactly why my dad loved visiting so much. It was an easy choice to donate a defibrillator and cabinet to the Museum as a small way of saying thank you for providing my dad and many other families with an experience and memories to treasure”.

    For more information about the British Motor Museum, please call 01926 895300, or visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk

  4. British Motor Museum awarded funding for a new Changing Places toilet

    Posted on

    The British Motor Museum is delighted to have been awarded funding for a new Changing Places toilet, a partnership between the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) and Muscular Dystrophy UK in association with Stratford on Avon District Council.

    Changing Places toilets are designed for people who are unable to use standard accessible toilets and include equipment such as hoists, privacy screens, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers. The installation of this facility will further enhance the Museum's accessibility, helping to open up the extensive vehicle collections to those who may not previously have been able to visit.

    Emma Rawlinson, Family & Lifelong Learning Officer at the British Motor Museum, said, “This fantastic facility really does make the British Motor Museum a place for everyone. The Changing Places Toilet will ensure our site is more accessible and inclusive for visitors and groups with complex needs, who can now visit us without worrying about access challenges”.

    The opening of the Changing Places toilet came ahead of the Museum's second dedicated Access Day on Wednesday 3 April. This event showcased the range of accessible activities and initiatives on offer at the Museum. Touch and Access Tours, Quiet Hours and Object Handling workshops. A number of the families who visited, commented on how delighted they were with the new facility, and that it made a real difference to their visit. The Museum is extremely grateful to all the donor organisations who made this project a reality.

    For more information visit: https://www.changing-places.org/find or https://www.changing-places.org/find?toilet=2851

  5. British Motor Museum to host “The Gallery 2024”

    Posted on

    The British Motor Museum is to host an exhibition entitled “The Gallery 2024” opening on 29 April. The exhibition, a continuing collaboration with Historic Car Art, will run until 30 June 2024. Visitors will be able to enjoy a collection of motoring-related pieces from a variety of Britain’s most creative automotive artists and sculptors.

    Alongside the exhibition, the Museum will also be running a competition for young artists to enter. The competition will be judged by a panel consisting of Head of Collections & Engagement, Stephen Laing, Historic Car Art Gallery owner Rupert Whyte and featured artists John Ketchell and Kate Alger. As part of the prize, winning young artists will have their work displayed at the Museum over the summer holidays. More information on the competition and how to submit artwork can be found on the Museum website.

    The Gallery showcases a number of leading motoring artists including Simon Britnell, Kate Alger,  John Ketchell, Emma Carpenter and Neil Collins. The artists work with a variety of media, including acrylics, oil, watercolour, pen, and pastels. Alongside the evocative paintings, Jonny Ambrose and Chris Twitchell will bring their eye-catching sculptures to the exhibition.

    Historic Car Art has been operating from its rural Derbyshire base since 2004. It has been built over time from a passion for art, cars, automotive history and the racing exploits of drivers and manufacturers, combined with a great interest in how this has all been depicted over the years in both artwork and promotional advertising. Historic Car Art is now a leader in acquiring and supplying original automotive art and vintage posters, building collections for discerning private and corporate clients worldwide.

    Rupert Whyte, Historic Car Art Gallery owner, commented “It’s been fantastic to have the opportunity to work with the British Motor Museum again for this exhibition. There are so many talented artists working in the automotive art scene today, and it’s a privilege for Historic Car Art to be able to bring our work to a wider audience through this partnership. We hope visitors enjoy perusing this collection - no matter what kind of car fan they are, they’re bound to find a piece that will capture their imagination.”

    Stephen Laing, Head of Collections & Engagement at the British Motor Museum, added: "We're delighted to collaborate for a second year with Historic Car Art to showcase the work of some of Britain's most talented artists. The community of artists in Britain taking inspiration from the automobile and motorsport has arguably never been stronger. There is such a wide array of styles and media, capturing the motor car in almost every era and situation”.

    Access to the exhibition is included with standard Museum admission tickets. Museum entry is just £43 for a family in advance or £49 on the day, £16 for adults in advance or £19 on the day, £14 for concessions in advance or £17 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE. There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return, at no extra cost.  To find out more information about the exhibition, please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/explore/the-gallery