Swainby Classic Car show started in 2005 in conjunction with the Swainby History Group, who were holding an exhibition in the village hall about the history of Swainby village and the surrounding area. The classic car show was organized in about four weeks, and it was a tremendous success with about 40 classic cars and tractors on the show field, we regularly have up to 400 classic vehicles attending the show now. The whole event raised much needed funds to help with the refurbishment of Swainby village hall.
The show attracts classic vehicle owners and enthusiasts from the whole of the north of the country, from Leeds in the south to way beyond Newcastle in the north and over to the west coast of Cumbria. One owner has even travelled from Oxfordshire on more than one occasion, he must like Swainby very much. Our furthest travellers so far have come from Brazil, however a relative of theirs was helping out on the show field at the time of their visit to the UK. Many local businesses in Swainby and the local vicinity sponsor the car show and prizes are awarded to the proud owners of the classic cars and motor bikes. They receive a trophy with the sponsor’s name on, and the class in which their vehicle has won. We do have three perpetual trophies in memory of local residents who are sadly no longer with us, Cal Simpson who had the garage in the High street, David Potts who had the garage on the main road (A172) and Decca (Derrick) Kitchen agricultural contractor. At prize giving we have had various representatives from the charities for whom we have raised funds , to present the trophies to the lucky winners. In 2016 the organizers of the show managed to persuade Mr David Harper TV antiques’ expert to present the prizes at the show, which he very kindly agreed to.
Funds raised over the years have gone to benefit many local charities, The Freeman Transplant Team in Newcastle, The Butterwick House Children’s Hospice, Herriot Hospice Homecare, The Great North Air Ambulance, The Mowbray Suite Friarage Hospital Northallerton, The James Cook and North Tees Hospitals Breast Care Units, Herriot Hospice Homecare second time, Teesside Hospice, Friarage Hospital M.R.I. scanner appeal, Herriot Hospice Homecare third time, Teesside Hospice second time, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, St.James and Seacroft regional adult Cystic Fibrosis unit St James University hospital Leeds, Prostate Cancer UK.
Swainby classic car show would not happen without the support, goodwill, the community spirit and the camaraderie of the residents of Swainby, also our small army of volunteers. The generosity and enthusiasm of local residents, many of whom take part and give up their time, to help in one form or another at the show. We thank these kind people for all their help over the years. The population of Swainby triples on show day, and the organizers of the show are very grateful for the patients shown by the villages on show day as there is a certain amount of disruption to normal village life.
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