2022 EVENTS
Friday, 9th December 2022
Our Christmas Dinner this year was held at The Railway Arms, North Elmham, and 49 of us braved the icy conditions to attend. We were pleased we did as the food was delicious, and served piping hot by the efficient and friendly staff. Amongst other things, Brian announced that our adopted charity for 2023 will be Fitzroy and Heather, by virtue of her raffle, raised £122 for the first contribution to this charity. David listed the proposed events for next year which included many interesting venues. Thanks to Ian and Jim for not only organising the event but also for standing for an hour in the freezing conditions to get us all safely parked.
Saturday, 26th November 2022
Our Club Breakfast was at the Chrysalis Café at BugzUK in Lenwade. We had 35 members for this event and there was widespread praise for the food and importantly the service -- it was a good sign that the owner came in on a Saturday morning and served most of the food to our members himself! Thanks to David Coles for arranging this event. He says “I visited all the tables before I left and got very positive feedback -- definitely a venue to return to next year for another breakfast event.”
Thursday, 24th November 2022
It was another great Quiz Night at Q’s Bistro in Fakenham. The winning team, ‘Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry, Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry’ (don’t ask!), consisting of Tim, Deana,Simon and Sue put the rest of us to shame. Thirty-two people took part and we raised a further £310 for this year’s adopted charity, First Focus. Many thanks to, amongst others, Mike for organising the eventand to Tracey of Q’s for being the excellent Quizmaster.
Wednesday, 9th November 2022
Our visit to the Wells Lifeboat Station was a great success today and twenty-six of us listened intently as the Coxswain, Nicholas King, gave us a guided tour of both the old and new buildings and boats. He told us that Wells was the last Lifeboat Station to launch boats using horses. He also gave us some sound medical advice: “the best cure for seasickness is -- sit under a tree!” The new addition to the Station is RNLB Duke of Edinburgh, a sleek and powerful Shannon Class vessel driven by jet power. She is packed with the latest technology as are her launch platform and tractor unit. Nicholas expects her to be in full service before Christmas once the necessary training has been completed.
Fakenham Marketplace 22nd October 2022
This was the last Marketplace meeting of the year and we were blessed with good weather. Nineteen vehicles attended including a Sinclair C5, piloted by Bob. Two new members were also there one of whom, Duncan, proudly displayed his new FAC windscreen sticker alongside some distinguished company! David’s book sales were strong yet again, enhancing our charity pot in favour of First Focus.
Sunday, 2nd October 2022
The Club visited RAF Sculthorpe this morning – ten cars attended including one new member. Welcome Kim. It was an enjoyable morning drive in the sunshine and a very interesting museum to explore. Thanks to Brian for organising this event and for the photos.
Wednesday, 28th September 2022
Our Club Night on Wednesday was at The Sea Marge Hotel in Overstrand. Membersarrived at 6:00 pm for drinks in the bar and a chat before moving into the diningroom where we were seated at three tables, two of which had views of the sea.There were seventeen of us who enjoyed good food which, for the most part,was delivered efficiently. The exceptions being a couple of desserts whosecustards were turned up after the desserts had been eaten.
Saturday, 24th September 2022
There were twelve cars at Fakenham Marketplace on a morning of sunshine and showers. Amongst others, Gary came in his Mustang, Nod in his Zephyr and Martin in his MX5 with its S-Type Jaguar engine. Martin is currently planning to sell his MX5.
Sunday, 28th August 2022
The Lavenham Classics Motor Show was well attended, including four FAC members. The usual eclectic array of vehicles was on show, including a three-wheeled Lambretta, the amazing City-to-City racer, not to mention the VTOL Morgan or the American motorised breakfast bar! Thanks to Jack for organising this event.
Saturday, 27th August 2022
Eighteen cars were on display in the sunshine this morning at Fakenham Marketplace, with some first-time appearances such as Gary’s gorgeous Limited Edition Mustang. Nod’s Mini Moke always attracts a lot of attention. It was good to see both sides of the road being used, thereby avoiding the congestion of past displays. Brian sold over £90 worth of books today, the proceeds being destined for our charity, First Focus.
Thursday, 25th August 2022
Our adopted charity for this year, First Focus, held their 20th Anniversary Celebrations today and Jim went along to represent the FAC. He was joined by Annie who, apart from also being an FAC member, is a supporter of First Focus. The last photo shows Annie, Clarissa, who fund-raises for the Charity, another volunteer and Jim. Clarissa wanted to remind FAC members that there is an open invitation to visit First Focus, meet their supporters, and see what they do.
Saturday, 13th August 2022
Forty-four members enjoyed a good breakfast this morning at The Old Dairy in Stanfield. It was a perfect morning for a drive and many beautiful cars were on show. Thanks to Jim and Judy for their exemplary organisation.
Sunday, 7th August 2022
Over 1000 classic, sports and supercars gleamed in the sunshine at Helmingham Hall Gardens. One of the best attended and well organised car shows of the year. The Fakenham Auto Club had eleven cars attending, thanks to Jack for making the arrangements. There were plenty of food stalls catering for all tastes as well as numerous trade stands. All in all, a great day out!
Sunday, 31st July 2022
The Overstrand Village Fair was a little unlucky with the weather, given the glorious days we’ve had of late. In fact, when we met at the Beach Car Park, it looked like being a very soggy affair indeed. However, the day proved to be a mixture of light and heavy showers interspersed with spells of bright sunshine. Ten FAC cars attended including Dick’s beautiful Mark 2, which chose this day to suggest that it might be a good time to renew the battery! As usual, there was a good selection of food and drink and lots of games for children. Thanks Jack, for rounding up FAC members for this event.
Wednesday, 27th July 2022
This Club Night was a barbeque held at Jim and Judy’s home. The evening was devoted to the NANSA Charity where Judy works and she told us that it is the best job she’s ever had. Nansa provides a wide range of specialist services for people of all ages living with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Sales of burgers and sausages, as well as the raffle and donations, raised £385 for the Charity. It was an excellent turnout by FAC members as well as a contingent from NANSA itself. All in all, it was a very relaxed and pleasant evening (except, or course for Jim who manfully controlled the BBQ all night!) Thank you Jim and Judy for arranging a great evening.
Saturday, 23rd July 2022
The first photo shows Fakenham’s Mayor, Angela Glynn and Fakenham Auto Club’s Chairman, Brian Monks at today’s display in the Marketplace. The Club is very grateful to the Fakenham Town Council, and especially Mayor Glynn, not only for their help in reinstituting the Club’s displays in the Marketplace post-Covid but also now making available to us the area around the memorials.
We have had as many as twenty-two cars at these events and needless to say, the area was becoming congested. There are plans in progress for the Council and our Club to arrange a classic car run next spring for charity.
Saturday, 16th July 2022
Ten FAC cars turned up for the Burnham Market Carnival, causing great interest in the parade, I don't think we've ever featured on so many people's phone videos! The photos, courtesy of Stuart Twite, show a selection of our cars displayed in the field where we enjoyed the fairground, stalls, local craft displays or simply basking in the sunshine and the admiration of visitors! Much to our surprise, The Burnhams Horticultural Society presented us
with a cheque for £100 for our charity, First Focus! Some of the cars were a much deeper shade of green than the grass!
10th July, 2022
It was perfect day for the Charles Clark Rally. 80 cars took part and, after the usual tea and bacon roll, we set off from the Goat Inn at Skeyton, via a long and interesting route, for Brisley Cricket Club where more tea and cakes awaited us. Various prizes were awarded including one, the Best Condition car, which went to Mike Seppings for his beautiful Daimler V8 250. Mike also has the distinction of having taken part in every Charles Clark Rally since it began in 1995! This year the adopted charity was Ormiston Families (www.ormiston.org) and Emily Stansfield, the Philanthropy Officer, was presented with a cheque for £1,514. Thanks to everyone who took part and especially to Brian for his impeccable organisation.
Sunday, 3rd July 2022
David Coles attended the North Norfolk Railway Vintage Transport Day along with other FAC members. “A very enjoyable day … good weather in the company of hundreds of classic car enthusiasts. We took a steam train from Holt station to Sheringham for lunch and a vintage bus back where we spent time perusing the large collection of classic cars. Also stocked up on car cleaning products from the regular stall holder on site at this event!”
Saturday, 25th June 2022
The Fakenham Marketplace meeting may well have broken the record as twenty-one cars turned up. Even the soaring price of petrol didn’t deter our members! Amongst other gorgeous vehicles, Martin brought along his stunning Noble and Geoff showed off his beautiful Sunbeam. Two new members joined up and others enquired about membership.
Wednesday, 22nd June 2022
We had a good night at the Two Lifeboats in Sheringham after a very pleasant drive in the sunshine from Fakenham. It was nice to see so many new members and their cars in attendance. The pub’s location was fantastic for such a lovely summer’s evening and good to see a blue North Sea for a change. Thanks to David Coles for organising the event.
Saturday, 28 May 2022
There were 15 member cars present at the Fakenham Marketplace this morning, and virtually all enjoyed drinks and eats which, when combined with casual passers-by chatting, made for a very enjoyable morning in pleasant weather. We had two Town Centre display debutants in Oliver and Nod with their lovely Mini and Mini Moke respectively - with both cars attracting a great deal of admiring attention.
Wednesday, 25th May 2022 – Evening drive and meal at Benny’s American Diner
Our drive from Fakenham last night was pleasant and free from traffic. When we arrived at Benny’s there were dozens of scooters parked outside - they too had been on a run out. Peter brought his lovely classic Alpha Romeo and it was pointed out that two of the scooters were painted in exactly the same colour! Benny’s had the usual wide variety of food and they were only pleased to help with any special dietary requirements.
22nd May, 2022
Stody Lodge Gardens held their annual Classic Car and Open Garden Day today. There were literally hundreds of classic cars and many FACes turned up, including Jack, David, Frank, Malcolm, Dennis, and Mike, plus spouses, to enjoy the sunshine and the flowers. A great day out and we could be forgiven for asking “Covid, what Covid?” Or, “Is that the queue for the loo, or has the Queen turned up unexpectedly?”!
18th – 21st May, 2022 -- FAC trip to the Lincolnshire Wolds
This was a rare outing for FAC members, twenty-two of whom braved crossing the border into Lincolnshire for a few days exploring the beautiful countryside and many attractions that the Wolds has to offer. Some of us stayed in the Best Western Kenwick Park Hotel which had many facilities, including an 18-hole golf course, and others at the Royal Oak, Splash, a lovely old country pub, complete with its own moat! Overall, the weather was kind to us and we were able to enjoy the lovely scenery. We are very grateful to Dennis and Lyn for giving up so much of their time to organise this mini holiday. Hopefully, the FAC will arrange for more excursions of this type in the future, although avoiding hotels’ busy weekend commitments.
Sunday, 8th May 2022
The second Mike Tomlin Run was a great success: fifty-seven participants enjoyed the drive in the sunshine from Pensthorpe, courtesy of Brian’s and Geoff’s route planning. The lunch at The Three Horseshoes, Briston, was organised by Jim with his usual efficiency. Karen Hunt again presented the trophy for the most desirable car, the award going to Oliver Francis for his classic Mini Cooper, driven by his brother Edward. Brian presented Karen with a ​Lifetime Honorary Membership certificate of the FAC, and the event raised £400 for our adopted charity, First Focus.
Wednesday, 27 April 2022
The Club enjoyed a drive from Fakenham for dinner at The Pigs in Edgefield last light. It was a very pleasant evening with many new faces joining in. Thanks to Jim not only for choosing the perfect venue but also for his meticulous planning. The food was so good that many succumbed to the lavish desserts (yes, you know who you are!)
Saturday, 23rd April 2022
We had another great turnout at the Fakenham Marketplace today, seventeen cars again! New member Chris brought along his beautiful Alpha and Stuart showed us his impressive VW Camper and two prospective new members also came to chat.
Saturday, 26th March 2022
We had a great turnout at Fakenham Market Place this morning. Seventeen cars arrived to enjoy the glorious sunshine, not to mention the bacon rolls! It has been over two years since the Club last exhibited here and two new members joined us with another keen to learn more about the FAC. We are planning to meet at the Market Place on alternate months from now on.
Wednesday, 23rd March 2022
A very successful Quiz Night, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Eighteen people turned up and the winners were the team of Jim, Judy, along with new members Peter and Jean. Heather and Pat did their usual excellent work on the raffle and in all £35 was raised for our charity.
Thursday, 3rd March 2022
During 2021 the FAC raised money for our adopted charity, The Fitzroy Centre, and Committee members David, Dennis and Ian called in at The Maltings to present the Charity with the Club’s "Big" cheque for £514.
Wednesday, 24th February 2022
We are delighted to report that the Club’s AGM was exceptionally well attended last night. The following changes to the Committee were announced: Geoff stepped down to pursue his many other interests; Jack resigned for health reasons; Rob left the Committee because of his other commitments. Lyn gave up her role as Treasurer in favour of Dennis. We are pleased to welcome back David to the Committee as well as new members David and Ian. Geoff was presented with a Lifetime Honorary Membership in grateful thanks for his many years of service to the FAC. Lyn was presented with a flower arrangement by Heather in recognition of her service as Treasurer. With the formalities out of the way, everyone retired to the bar for a very relaxed get-together.
Saturday, 12th February 2022
Nigel and Jenny organised an enjoyable walk from Cawston to Reepham Railway Station, along what used to be the railway line, for coffee and then back to The Bell at Cawston for lunch – 4.4 miles in all. The pub has an unspoilt village local feel and serves a wide variety of food at reasonable prices. Twenty-seven members took advantage of the bright and dry, day.
Saturday, 22nd January 2022
The very first breakfast of the year and what lovely weather we had for our drive to Back to the Garden farm shop in Holt. The turnout was exceptional: forty-eight members enjoyed the breakfast and above all the company. The blue skies also encouraged some lovely classic cars out of hibernation. All credit to Jim for organizing yet another excellent event!
