Legendary Grand Tour 2006

[Dan C]

Stuck for something to do this bank holiday weekend? Are you a car enthusiast? Do you like to support local charities? If so this could be for you

Once again over the August Bank Holiday North Devon's own Italian job takes to the roads

of North Devon only instead of 3 minis they have 300 minis. Now in its 11th year the event

has started to be called the Legendary Grand Tour and is the biggest event of its kind in the

country, it could well be the only event of its kind in the country. These mighty minis are

turning North Devon into the Mini capital of the world, not because of the numbers of cars

that take part but because of what these cheeky little cars can do, as they parade around

North Devon's roads in a massive convoy one after the other for 2 days.

As well as the minis the Grand Tour has a secret weapon the Legendary Grand Tour

Marshals who ride motorbikes, over 70 of them, who make sure no one gets lost. They also

carry the buckets for the biggest street collection in the country (over 50 miles).

The main events takes place on the Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday with a smaller run

going out on the Saturday night called the Kebab run from Northam Borrows to Bideford

Quay.

Sunday sees the Minis gather in Bideford Park, then at 11-00am the Bideford Mayor cuts

the ribbon and the Motorbikes lead the Minis out onto the open roads towards Hartland

Quay. All along the route groups of people gather in Lay-bys and on corners just waiting to

give them a wave. There they stop for a B-B-Q for about an hour and a half before setting off

again across county towards the Chappleton Barton steam and vintage car rally to spend

the afternoon.

Monday sees the start of the biggest day. Westward Ho is buzzing as the Minis fill every

nook and cranny. The minis are decorated and turned into all sorts of things and you could

quite easily bump into Batman & Robin or Snow White and the & dwarfs as the Mini owners

parade in fancy dress. Bideford Pipe Band provides even more entertainment. By 11-00am

Westward Ho is full and close to bursting point. The roads are closed and there is not an

inch of space left and the Minis are everywhere. Just when everyone has settled down the

Mayor comes along cuts the ribbon and wow the noise as the 70 or 80 motorbikes burst into

life and the minis start up. The motorbikes are the first to move off, then the pipe band

followed by 300 minis in every colour and type you could think of. The streets and Lay-bys

are once again full of people waiting for us to go by. It's a slow start until all the minis are safely off the promenade and out of westward Ho, by which time the start of the convoy is

about 2 miles away. As it speeds up it begins to reach 4 miles long the faster they go the

longer the convoy gets. Led by the motorbike marshals they are heading to their first

destination, the Children's Hospice SW.

The Children will have been up early that day, making their flags and putting up the

bunting. They have all asked to be at the Little Bridge House that week because it's the mini

weekend. The minis approach Little Bridge House through a housing estate and when they

turn into the CHSW the children their brothers and sister mums & dads are all waiting for

them. Some of the children are sitting on a roundabout which the minis go around to come

back out again. Chaos and mayhem rule Little Bridge House for 20 minutes as the flags are

waved like made and the mini owners return with a blast on their horns.

Very few of the mini drivers leave Little Bridge House without a great big smile and their

eyes full of tears.

The Children at Little Bridge House didn't sit there waving and wondering what it would be

like to drive a mini because 2 days before they were all given a driving lesson. It did not

matter what their disability was or how old they were, it didn't even matter if they couldn't

even see over the steering wheel they were all allowed to drive a mini around the grounds

of the hospice, so were their brothers and sisters. The flower beds always seem to suffer the

most.

From there the minis head towards Lynton and the Valley of the Rocks and a short stop at

Lee Abbey. For the first time in its history the minis are going to bypass Barnstaple. It was

not an easy decision to make because of the support the event has always got from the

people of Barnstaple. But the volume of traffic in Barnstaple on that Bank Holiday Monday

has just got too much and causes them too many problems. But they hope to return once

the new bridge is finished.

From Lee Abbey the minis continue onto Combe Martin and then IIfracombe where they will

be once again parking around the Landmark Theatre for their prize giving and raffle. It also

allows the mini owners to hand in their sponsorship money to the CHSW themselves.

The minis are raising money for their "MINI WING APPEAL" for the Children's Hospice

being built near Bristol. They are hoping to raise £140,000 to pay for a messy play area. Over

the past 2 years they have already raised £70,000 but as the opening of the new Hospice

draws closer their efforts have increased. Last year the event raised £30,000 this year they

are hoping to raise a bit more.

I must emphasise what a great cause this event is for and what a great day out it will be for all ages.

For more info visit www.smallcarsbighearts.co.uk