Once again, members of the Epsom Area MGOC organised this popular annual charity fund raising event. The Surrey Run offered great value with a route of 59 miles through the Surrey and Sussex countryside.

The run started as usual at Bocketts Farm, Fetcham, near Leatherhead in Surrey.

The scenic route covered a distance of 59 miles and finished at the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Sussex.

The museum lies in the heart of the South Downs National Park. Here, in a site of over 40 acres, you will find over 50 historic buildings that have been rescued from destruction and painstakingly rebuilt, bringing to life the homes, farms and workplaces of the south east over the past 600 years. During your visit you will see not only the buildings themselves, that originate from Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, but can explore several recreated period gardens, woodland walks, coppice and a stable yard or simply enjoy the peace and tranquillity of this part of rural Sussex. The Museum staff and volunteers will be happy to talk about how our rural ancestors lived and worked.

The entry price for the run was £20 and included:

• Route Instruction booklet
• Rally plate
• Entry into the prize draw
• Entry to the Weald and Downland Living Museum in Sussex for your MG, the driver and passenger

If you were with us for the run, we may have taken a photo of your MG at the start. These photos are available to purchase for £6 each and ALL the proceeds will go to our chosen charity (i.e. for every photo ordered, £6 will go to our chosen charity – All the costs of production are being born by our sponsor).
All the photos that participants ordered have now been printed and posted. If you have not received yours, please email Kim with the details including your name, address, phone number, Registration Number and the colour of your MG. She will sort the problem for you.

If you lost the request form and wish to receive your photo, please download the form here, print it out and, having completed it, send it to us with a cheque (the address is on the form).

“SURREY RUN 2017”

Planning of our SURREY RUN 2017 started in July last year. We chose a new venue for this event with the final destination being the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton in West Sussex.

Medieval Buildings
The museum lies in the heart of the South Downs National Park. Here, in a site of over 40 acres, we saw over 50 historic buildings that had been rescued from destruction and painstakingly rebuilt, bringing to life the homes, farms and workplaces of the south east over the past 600 years. During the visit we hoped to see not only the buildings themselves, that originated from Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, but also explore several recreated period gardens, woodland walks, coppice and a stable yard or to simply enjoy the peace and tranquillity of that part of rural Sussex.

Horse Power
As usual I had been keeping a keen eye on the weather forecast for some days prior to the event. Sunday was originally predicted to be slightly mixed with the possibility of an odd shower. As time progressed there was a more positive certainty of rain in the afternoon from 3pm.

Group Photo Before Leaving
This charity fund raising event is still proving to be very popular. We exceeded my target with well over 200 entries pre-booked and many more turning up on the day. At one point I was worried we would run short of rally plates. As in previous years, the start point was once again hosted by Bocketts Farm near Leatherhead in Surrey. They reported record sales in breakfast meals. The registration facilities were operational with route instructions and rally plates being handed out by about 8.30 with the first departures during the next hour.

Hood Down
This left time for the possibility of a cooked breakfast or a vital trip to any other facilities that may be required before setting off under the official start banner. This moment was captured by our resident Photographers Kim and Tom, who were ready to photograph each car as it set off. If you have not already ordered a copy of your special photo, then please contact Kim via our Epsom Area MGOC web site and for a small sum she can provide you with a memento of this occasion (click here).

Start Banner
Once again our Route Master, Foggy, had carefully planned the journey covering a distance of 60 miles through picturesque Surrey and Sussex countryside. This year it presented itself as no real challenge as this part of the world is an absolute delight passing many country pubs and the famous Goodwood race course. Once established, the route was checked by two independent Club Members and then rechecked by Foggy two days before the Run date.

Travelling Light
All was reported as good except for an old wooden sign post at mileage 8.1. Here the route instructions indicated a left turn following the sign to “Abinger”. Unfortunately there was no sign for “Abinger” as during the last couple of weeks the old wooden indicating arm had rotted off. This information was passed to another tester who under took the final check, leaving at 8 am on the Sunday morning. He did report deep puddles in places and a large tree branch that had separated from its host. A result from appalling weather conditions the previous day.

Mark and Clare (Chichester MGOC)
The entry fee for the Surrey Run also included admission to the Museum for both driver and passenger. On arrival, our Epsom marshalling team had set up the welcoming arrangements with dedicated MG parking in the “Event Arena” within the Museum complex.

Passing the Pub
Unfortunately although most cars completed the journey with hoods down, the predicted rain had arrived slightly early. There were some beautiful examples of MG models taking part in the Run this year. These covered a wide range of ages from early T Types to the very latest examples, newly registered this year.

Mist at Goodwood
At the start of the Run, each driver was given a Prize Draw ticket containing their unique run number to be handed in as they passed the finish post. When everyone had arrived, Maddy Mathews, representing the Weald and Downland Museum, conducted a prize draw with three winners.

The Winning Ticket
First prize was won by Michael Beswick, entry number 72 winning a voucher for £25. Peter Bolster entry number 21, won Second Prize, a voucher for £15. Mark and Claire Bacchus entry number 188, won Third Prize, a voucher for £10.

Is it Raining?
Once again and despite the weather, we have received many favourable comments regarding this year’s Run, the route and organization. On behalf of the Epsom Area, I would like to thank the MG Owner’s Club at HQ for their continued support. Also to Bocketts Farm and the Weald and Downland Living Museum for providing the start and end points of the route. We are grateful to all our friends and MG enthusiasts for their interest and involvement with the Epsom Area MGOC. My thanks go to everyone who joined us for this event.

Damp Arrival
The Epsom Area has always had a commitment to fund raising for local deserving charities. By taking part in the Surrey Run, you have provided valuable support in helping us achieve our goals for yet another year. I am sorry about the afternoon rain, but I do hope that you enjoyed the day and I look forward to seeing you all again next July for the SURREY RUN 2018.

NIGEL SWANN (Epsom Area MGOC Special Events Co-ordinator)