MY FIRST CAR
Egyptologist Joann Fletcher was a latecomer to the world of motoring but she certainly has fond memories of her first car, a Suzuki Jimny, which now enjoys cult status.
“I was 45 before I started driving,” she reveals. “I just didn’t get around to it and because I was a student for many years, it wasn’t a priority. I had never been in a position to drive before.
“But I do enjoy driving now – it’s certainly better than hanging around railway stations at night. I enjoyed the Jimny. I loved the shape of it.”
Joann is from Barnsley but now lives in Scarborough. She says that, although she was a late starter to motoring, she is glad that she took the plunge.
“A lot of the work we do is late evening meetings and the like, so it’s good to have transport sorted,” she says.
“When I was learning as a youngster, I was lucky that my grandfather was a driving instructor so I had lots of lessons. It was good to get started at a young age but I could never afford to have a car.” Now she has a DS3, which she likes.
“It is a little runaround but I like the style of it with a lovely black interior. It is not too big so it’s great for parking.”
Joann is based in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York and is also chairman of Scarborough Museums Trust in her home town.
Although only recently becoming a trustee of Scarborough Museums and Galleries, she has been researching aspects of the collection for almost 20 years and working as consultant and adviser for Harrogate Museums and Arts, the Museum of Wigan Life and Barnsley Museums, where she is also guest curator, and is also patron of Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust.