As usual August opened with Club night at the Barns. Far too hot for one of the Barns delicious hot meals organiser Sue opted for a cold buffet instead. An enjoyable natter night followed.

On the 16^th we displayed at the Kings Bromley Car Show. Organised by John and Carol  we had a great pitch to show off 13 cars which included MGF and TF , MGB tourer and GT ,MGC and a brace of MGRV8`s. This show has grown stature and attendance and has become a worthy replacement for the much missed Lupin Farm Show which was held nearby on Edwin Tippers Farm. At our last show one of our members, John, sneaked in with a Morgan Plus 8 but this time he went even better and brought along his Jaguar E type and Austin Healey 3000. What`s next to appear?

A drive over to the East of our area on the 20^th brought 36 members to the TTCM at Planters Garden Centre near Tamworth. We were somewhat alarmed when we arrived as a pensioners Bingo session was in full swing but we soon settled in our side room to enjoy coffee, tea cakes and a morning`s chat.

On the 23^rd, Des and Gill arranged a visit to the Anderton Canal Boat lift in Cheshire. After meeting up at Aston Marina, a 46 mile run took us to the Lift where we parked up for lunch. 5 brave souls then climbed the impressive 100 feet high iron structure whilst the more sensible “timid” enjoyed a pleasure cruise along the River Weaver.

August ended with eager anticipation of our trip to Southern Brittany in early September and also the announcement of 2 away trips planned for 2027. One to Minehead in Somerset in May and then Tenby in Wales in September. Happy MG motoring.

SMGEC reached the milestone of being founded 25 years in July and to celebrate it we held an Anniversary club night at the Barns. Themed as a trip on The Orient Express, 45 members enjoyed the buffet meal and an excellent evening.

On the 8^th, Keith and Gill organised a return visit to David Austin Roses to view the display but the fierce heat meant the tour of the rose beds was unfortunately cut short. To make up we moved to the nearby Oakley Inn for welcome drinks and lunch to end the day in air conditioned comfort!

We returned to an old favourite, the Whittington Barracks car show on the 12^th Organised by Roy, 8 cars displayed in the sunshine where we were joined by a Morgan Plus Eight, just acquired by member John, to add to his impressive fleet. Not an MG but still a lovely car!

To seek relief from the heat wave we moved indoors at the Mere Park Garden Centre near Newport for the TTCM. It was hoods down for the 22 members who gathered for coffee and cakes and some retail therapy for the ladies!

The main run in July was a visit to Hodnet Hall Gardens in Shropshire on the 24^th. Mike, Keith and Chris planned a 30 mile route which included some “old school” green lane single track roads to arrive at our destination, where they had arranged a parking and picnic area in front of the Hall for us to enjoy our lunches. We then explored the beautiful gardens and lakes before ending the afternoon with ice creams at the café. Surprisingly it was our first visit to this gem.

The month ended with an excellent Drive and Dine Evening for the SMGEC foodies at The Cricketts Inn near Acresford, arranged by Bob and Irene. Happy MG motoring.

SMGEC had a full programme of events in June starting on the 4^th when 35 members attended the Club night at the Barns, hosted by Phil. After the meal we had the opportunity to re live events from our excellent Cumbrian Getaway to the Fat Lamb Hotel in May. We had plenty of photos to view and one video which perhaps was the highlight of the evening, wasn`t it Geoff! We were also pleased to welcome the return to the Club of a past member, Karen Jones, with her 1976 Midget and a 2003 MGTF.

Our Annual Charity run took place on the 14^th, organisers Roger and Sue took us on a 45 mile scenic run starting at Byrkley Garden Centre to end at our destination, Keddlestone Hall in Derbyshire. A good turnout of 20 cars parked up in a reserved area of the car park attracting much interest. The good warm weather played its part and we enjoyed a picnic and ice creams after visiting the Hall. Pleasingly we raised over £300 for our nominated charity, the Dougie Mac Hospice.

For our TTCM on the 18^th, organisers Brian and June took 32 members to yet another new venue, The Essington Farm Shop near Wolverhampton. The shop proved ideal with a separate area reserved for us to enjoy the snacks and drinks on offer. I`m sure it will be added to our list for the future.

The final event of the month was The Posh Picnic Run to the Village of Clive in Shropshire. Meeting up at Dobbies, a 45 mile run took 32 members to the village Hall gardens where we laid out our “posh” picnics in the welcome sunshine. The competition to impress with lace table cloths and polished silver tea sets added to the fun. Happy MG motoring.

The after dinner entertainment at our May Club night at the Barns was certainly out of the ordinary. We were delighted to welcome Jenny Morgan from the Gentleshaw Wildlife Centre at Eccleshall who came to talk to us of the work of their family run animal sanctuary. She brought along some of their beautiful birds of prey to show us who then made some very low level flying passes over our heads. The tour of the room by Jenny and her python snake was perhaps not so popular with some members! It`s well worth visiting.

Our long awaited Cumbrian Getaway going to stay at the classic car themed Fat Lamb Hotel at Kirby Stephen started on the 21^st. Due to the numbers wanting to attend we had to split into two groups with the first of 21 followed by the second of 20. The Hotel was all we expected and we were well looked after. Day one`s programme included the Lakeland Car Museum, railway trips and cruising on lake Windermere. Day two, a 90 mile scenic tour over the best of the moors roads with stops for coffee, lunch and sightseeing. Thanks go to Keith and Chris Timmis who put in tremendous work arranging this very enjoyable trip for us. Sadly they experienced the only breakdown of the trip when their MGF literally ground to a halt, needing RAC recovery.

Attendance at the TTCM at Aston Marina was down, probably as it closely followed the Cumbrian Trip, but 20 still came along for a pleasant morning`s natter at this popular venue.

The final event of May was “The Young Timers Show” at Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire on the Bank Holiday Monday, when 20 members braved the hottest May day on record to display, such dedication!

Happy MG motoring.

Plenty of activity in April and the opportunity to enjoy some MG motoring. As usual the month started with Club night at the Barns with 41 members attending for a meal and natter night. We were pleased to welcome new member Mel Davis with his recently acquired 1971 MGB in Midnight Blue, a really good looking car.

A new event for us was a mid-week breakfast meet at the Cake Shack at Whitmore Lakes. Full English breakfasts were the order of the day for the 14 members attending and they were really enjoyed by all. I`m sure these mornings will become a popular addition to our calendar. Yet another opportunity for the SMGEC foodies to tuck in!

A return to one of our most popular venues for the Third Thursday Coffee morning saw 32 members meeting up at the Ranch Bistro on Cannock Chase. The sunny weather meant hoods were down for the ride in but great care had to be taken negotiating the monster pot holes in the entrance drive!

To mark this year’s Drive it Day on the 26^th of April, Alan and Karen organised for us to visit to the Midlands Air Museum at Cosford. After meeting up at Dobbies on Gailey Island they led a good turnout of 14 cars along a short drive to arrive at the Museum. After parking up we were pleased to find that both the Coventry and Cheshire MG Owners Clubs were already in attendance, making a great display of MG`s in the car park. The fine afternoon weather allowed us to picnic outside to finish off an enjoyable day.

To round out April, our new Drive and Dine organisers Bob and Irene, took 22 members to The Toby Carvery at Norton Cannes to enjoy an evening meal. Now looking forward to our Trip to Cumbria.