NEC 2023

Once again it was a great pleasure for FTC-GB to be accepted for the third year running for "stand space", at what is always one of the premier indoor shows in europe. And as always i look for innovative ways to fund FTC-GBs participation at this show, needing £1,000 per year to do so. And it was around mid 2022 i came across a seller with vast quantities of genuine NOS Ford Taunus Keyrings at over 50 years old. Proper Leather Fobs individually made with a vitreous enamel badge.

Manufactured by Melsoms of Birmingham, and so i struck a deal to buy a large quantity and proceeded to sell them to Clubs and individuals across Europe. It was a mad idea, but by December 2022 i had raised all of the funds needed for the 2023 NEC Show!!! And quite early on in 2023, i was contacted by a (non FB) user Pete Goodman who had bought and saved a 1963 P3 17m Super from being scrapped!! brave man. And could i help him? So during the months ahead, i guided him through the lengthy process of registering the Swedish P3 with the UK...DVLA. His enthusiasm was infectious for the restoration of the P3, so much so i invited him to the November Show this year. I also invited an accomplished photographer and friend Paul Andrew Kitchen (Kitch) to be with us all weekend brandishing his brace of Nikons who on his first visit found it very worthwhile and enjoyable capturing some super pics of our stand and other exhibits. (See Photo). With the Stand being compromised to a degree we had a two car stand ,with my 2021 Show Award Winning 20M RS again transporting all the Stand equipment too! Always and with trepidation travelling to the Show over 100 miles from home, crammed full of everything to set up the FTC-GB Stand and equipment. And setting up too assembling everything the previous day Thursday for the publics admittance on Friday at 10.00am. Its become the norm now it seems for Hall 8 to be the "Ford Destination" for Ford Fans with 40+ Clubs with  Stands in there. And on opening day Pete's P3 the likes of which have never been seen at the show before ,proving a very popular exhibit on the FTC-GB stand all weekend. And to promote Pete's P3 Restoration Project, I commissioned a Special ...T...Shirt for him adding another dimension to the Stand also. The popular phrase heard many times, "Its a Ford, never seen one before!??" The Stand we have at the NEC is niche among the many Clubs, as many Clubs are there with the same make of cars. While our Ford Stand is totally unique at the NEC Show and ours being a destination for many Ford Fans looking forward to seeing our FTC-GB layout often with a Ford Model never seen before!!

And all weekend probably only a handful of "Ford Fans" when questioned knew what a P3 was, bringing a new Ford to the publics attention in the UK. The Charity i chose this year with the money I had raised was HUMBER RESCUE...humber-rescue.co.uk an Independent Lifeboat Station based on the estuary. Formed in 1989 from someone's back garden it has now grown into to what it is today.

The Lifeboat Station is located on the northern side of the Humber Bridge, close to our own home.

And with the support once more of ..RETRO FORD, with Andy Ellis and John Waide with us, inviting Sarah Crabtree of Evoke Classics (Director) to our Stand with the secret reveal of our Charity Fund.

The captivating moment captured by Andy Ellis on Camera and John Waide Editor was once again a crowd stopping moment as the people stood motionless with the total revealed of ...£554.21...

All in all, another fabulous show and weekend to round off the 2023...Show Season....in Taunus Style!

Show report by Roy Townsend, Club Sec. with photos by Andy Ellis and Kitch, with words in RETRO FORD from John Waide. With special mention of our special guest to reveal our Charity Fund to 

HUMBER RESCUE....Sarah Crabtree of Evoke Classics.