MG100 Cavalcade – John O’Groats to Land’s End
The information about this event has appeared in the March edition of Safety Fast! and there is also a News item on the MG Car Club website. The event will take place between Tuesday 30th April and Saturday 25th May.
As we continue the celebration of 100 years of MG in 2024, for the enjoyment of members throughout the country our goal is to link all regions of the UK and all parts of our Club in celebrating with a Centenary led expression of the ‘Marque of Friendship’. The plan is to achieve this by way of a series of road runs all the way from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
The whole Club is uniting in this endeavour so that a very appropriate MG 100 baton can pass from one end of the country to the other, involving as many members as possible.
Participation
This is your chance to take part! Please follow the links below to the relevant Centre website for the leg(s) you wish to take part in to register your interest. Entries are being handled locally by the Centres in managing the local element of this fun MG 100 event.
Should you plan to be one of the intrepid end-to-enders who in celebration of 100 years of MG will enjoy the entire event, then please get in touch with Rob Constant on rob@littleabingdon.co.uk to express interest.
Similarly, should you wish to do more than just the one local Centre leg, then again please contact Rob so we are aware of your multiple entry intentions. The success of this venture depends greatly on the communication between members, Centre organisers, the Cavalcade organising team and the MG Car Club. Don’t delay – consider your plans now!
Fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society & Lupus UK
The event is also raising donations through a JustGiving page for the Alzheimer’s Society which vows to end the devastation of dementia, Britain’s biggest killer, and for LUPUS UK which is the only national registered charity supporting people with systemic lupus and discoid lupus and assisting those approaching diagnosis. Click/tap the button below to go to the JustGiving page
The route
The finer route details are still being put in place (and read below about the updating of the map), but the regional dates and broad geographic routing is as follows:
Tuesday 30th April – MG 100 Cavalcade Commencement – John O’Groats to Inverness – End to Enders
Wednesday 1st May – Inverness to Perth – Caledonian Centre www.mgcaledonian.com/contact-us/
Thursday 2nd May – Perth to Kilmarnock – Caledonian Centre www.mgcaledonian.com/contact-us/
Friday 3rd May – Kilmarnock to Cairnryan – End to Enders
Saturday 4th May – Ulster Centre, Northern Ireland www.mgcculstercentre.co.uk/our-primary-point-of-contact/
Sunday 5th May – Ulster Centre, Northern Ireland www.mgcculstercentre.co.uk/our-primary-point-of-contact/
Monday 6th May – Cairnryan to Carlisle – End to Enders
Tuesday 7th May – MG display at Bristol Street Motors, Carlisle
Wednesday 8th May – Carlisle to Durham & Durham to Richmond – Tyne Tees Centre www.mgcc.co.uk/tyne-tees-centre/contact/
Tyne Tees Centre webpage for the leg – www.mgcc.co.uk/tyne-tees-centre/future-events/
Thursday 9th May – Richmond to Harrogate – Yorkshire Centre www.mgccyorkshire.co.uk/events/
Friday 10th May – Harrogate to Hull – Yorkshire Centre – End to Enders on to Humber Bridge www.mgccyorkshire.co.uk/events/
Friday 10th May – Humber Bridge to Louth – Lincolnshire Centre on to Sibsey www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk/events/mg100-cavalcade/
Saturday 11th May – East Kirkby to Moreton – Lincolnshire Centre on to Whaplode Drove, Wansford www.mgcclincolnshire.co.uk/events/mg100-cavalcade/
Sunday 12th May – Wansford to Stockport – End to Enders
Monday 13th May – Stockport to Warrington – Northwest Centre www.mgcc.co.uk/north-west-centre/contact/
Monday 13th May – Warrington to Longbridge – End to Enders
Tuesday 14th May – Longbridge to Gaydon – Midland Centre www.mgccmidlandcentre.co.uk
Wednesday 15th May – Gaydon to Oxford – Abingdon Works Centre www.mgccawc.co.uk/contact
Thursday 16th May – Oxford to Baldock (Brown and Gammons MG) – Abingdon Works Centre contact www.mgccawc.co.uk/contact
Friday 17th May – Baldock to Dartford (Ancaster MG) – Anglia Centre / End to Enders www.mgccanglia.com/contacts.html
Saturday 18th May – Maidstone to Fairmile, Cobham – MGCC South East Centre MG 100 Celebrations www.mgccse.co.uk/mg100-south-east/mg100se-the-mg-cavalcade/
Sunday 19th May – Fairmile, Cobham to Brooklands – South East Centre – MG 100 Celebrations www.mgccse.co.uk/mg100-south-east/mg100se-the-mg-cavalcade/
Monday 20th May – Brooklands to National Motor Museum, Beaulieu – Abingdon Works Centre www.mgccawc.co.uk/contact
Tuesday 21st May – Visit to National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Wednesday 22nd May – Beaulieu to South Bristol area – End to Enders
Thursday 23rd May – Compton Martin to Weston-Super-Mare – Southwest Centre / and onto Exeter with the End to Enders www.mgccsw.com/event/mg-100-cavalcade-john-ogroats-to-lands-end/
Friday 24th May – Exeter to Launceston – Devon & Cornwall Centre www.mgccdc.org
Saturday 25th May – Launceston to Land’s End – MG 100 Cavalcade Completion – Devon & Cornwall Centre www.mgccdc.org
The Google map of the route
The map shows a schematic of the route to be taken together with the stopover/exchange points. You can click/tap the map for an interactive view. The markers are coloured for each Centre as in the Centre map above, and you click/tap each marker to contact the relevant Centre.
There is a pointer of a car to show the position of Cecil which will be updated every day to indicate where he’s got to – he’s presently indicated at John O’Groats!
The map is also being updated to show more accurately the route between each stopover/exchange point as planning progresses. The list below shows which routes have been updated; you will need to click/tap the map to see this detail:
- Carlisle to Durham and onwards to Richmond
- British Motor Museum to MGCC Abingdon and onwards to Baldock for Brown and Gammons MG
- Baldock to Ancaster MG, Dartford
- Brooklands Museum to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
More background
Objectives
The event objectives are as follows:
- To celebrate 100 years of MG in as inclusive and visible way possible, with support from all the various CRBs, but in particular MGCC Centres, by running a series of consecutive ‘scenic runs’ the full length of the country
- Bring to life Club celebrations in a very active way in the UK – MGs on the road!
- Involve as many members as possible – from all age groups and eras of MG – from Vintage/MMM to ‘Young Members’… The friendship of generations travelling together
- Devise an overall route, which takes in some of the key venues to the overall MG story and iconic motoring / motorsport locations throughout mainland UK
- Attract national and local PR – via TV, radio and on-line & print media through our nationwide event
- Involve MG Motor UK Dealership Network in the event and fundraise for charity for both Lupus UK and the Alzheimer’s Society.
The origins of the event
The concept originates with Geoff Mansfield who undertook the full Jogle in his 1931 MG M type Sportsman Coupe in his 80th year with a 90-year-old motorcar! A 1,000 mile adventure undertaken during 2021 for both the experience and to fund-raise for charity.
How will it work?
Although there may be a number of end-to-enders joining in with all stages of the event, the Cavalcade is not a procession of MGs from one end of the county to the other, but rather a series of individual Centre road-runs.
These are, where necessary, joined together by linking sections with handover points for the ‘MG 100 baton’ which are envisaged to generally be at MG Motor UK dealerships, passing the ‘MG 100 baton’ one Centre to the next throughout the country.
The event has also been timed to coincide with the South East Centre’s exciting Brooklands event over the weekend of the 18th & 19th May, with the dates of the Cavalcade working ‘forwards’ and ‘backwards’ from this to ensure the Cavalcade is passing through the area at the appropriate time. Please see www.mgccse.co.uk/mg100-south-east/ for details.
Where’s Cecil?
The handover points will facilitate the passing of a gloss-sprayed card Cecil Kimber (the MG 100 baton!) between Centre officials, thereby allowing for the individual Centre’s scenic run to start and conclude where the Centre so desires, taking in such picturesque routes and places of interest as they wish to include. The whole ‘Where’s Cecil’ concept we believe will bring a fun, engaging and media-friendly angle to the event emphasising the fun and heritage facets of our Club character.
‘Cecil’ will have two ninety-degree folds, one at knee height and the other at the pelvis allowing the great man to sit prominently in the passenger seat of a series of MGs throughout the trip. He will also have capability to be stood up by way of a movable ‘spine’ which will allow display at the Cavalcade start, finish, baton Handover Points and at the MG South East Centre’s Brooklands MG 100 event.
The story of Cecil’s adventures will no doubt make for an entertaining theme through the event and be recorded for posterity in the Cavalcade log-book. Once the event closes, Cecil and the Cavalcade log will retire to live comfortably at Kimber House, Abingdon as a permanent reminder of the event’s contribution to our 100-year celebrations.
We are keen that all parts of the country and all parts of the Club are involved in this rolling event, involving as many members as possible, as a very inclusive demonstration of the ‘Marque of Friendship’. This is a brilliant way to unite as the original MG Club which grew with factory support in marking 100 years of MG in the very way MGs were intended: to be driven.