PAUCITY OF STAFF IS KILLING OFF SHOWS

FBHVC intervenes to help events organisers to recruit volunteers so that many local shows and classic meets can continue running

WAYNE SCOTT, FBHVC

‘It is a societal issue with people having less and less free time’

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) has pledged to help classic car show organisers who are having to cancel events because of falling volunteer numbers.

Demand for historic vehicle events is stronger than ever, according to FBHVC research – it reported a three per cent increase in members of the public attending local classic car shows between 2016 and 2018 in its 2019 Cost of Ownership Survey of approximately 2.6 million people.

FBHVC communications officer, Wayne Scott, acknowledged that while rising costs are also important – like those that killed off the Manchester Classic Car Show in 2018 and the Belper Steam and Vintage Event last year – having fewer volunteers to call upon causes more problems.

CCW investigated the knock-on effects within motor sport last October, while a smaller pool of marshals was also highlighted in the tragic events of 2019’s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, during which an entrant and his wife were killed.

Despite record attendance figures, the Romsey Annual Classic car and Bike Meet on Boxing Day also signed off for the last time in 2019; this huge show had just six marshals in its final guise.

Organiser, Steve Biddlecombe, said: ‘I cannot help but fear that my very good luck [with the show] is coming to an end. I have decided to quit at the top rather than see the event go downhill.’

Wayne added: ‘Far more than simple costs, however, is the increasing difficulty in recruiting volunteers and organisers.

‘The vast majority of events are not big commercial entities, but rather run almost entirely by a volunteer team or committee. These teams are finding it difficult to recruit volunteers – not just young people, but of any age – to come and run these events. It is a societal issue, with people having less and less free time, especially with more and more grandparents having to take on childcare as younger generations work longer hours. It is also another stark reflection of a lack of young people coming into the scene.’

The Leisure Lakes Steam & Vintage Vehicle Rally, held in

Tarleton, Lancashire, is the latest show casualty. Popularity was certainly not the issue – it had grown steadily in ten years from a one-off event into a regular outing on the classic car calendar – but retiring organisers, Peter Wareing and Alan Atkinson, could not find replacements to take the reins, despite previous gatherings having raised more than £330k for charitable causes.

The FBHVC expects to discuss recruitment strategies with member clubs at this month’s Club Expo, held on 25 January at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.