The Coventry to Brighton Run 2012 – What’s Happening ?
A brief history lesson for those who have never entered, or even heard of, the Coventry to Brighton Run! And for those who have been wondering why the Christmas Post didn’t bring their customary event filled envelopes, here’s your answer.
Back in the 1950’s, when everything was in black & white, VMCC member Fred Lewis visited friends in Brighton every year. Fred turned this into an event after several motorcycling friends joined him on the trip. The first run was organised under the Midland Section banner in 1962. For the first few years the run started from the Triumph Motorcycle factory at Meriden, it then moved around a bit until finding it’s ‘forever start’ at The Coventry Museum of Transport which has proved popular with all & will hopefully remain so for the foreseeable future.
This event has a long standing tradition that The Lord Mayor of Coventry officiates at the start of the run, on the Saturday morning, which includes passing a letter of goodwill to the rider of the oldest machine, who then passes this onto The Mayor of Brighton on arrival in Brighton on the Saturday afternoon.
Although now a Warwickshire Section event much of its success is due to the large entry of members from Sussex & Surrey who effectively ride home on Saturday and part of the events appeal is meeting other members from different sections on a huge variety of machines.
Ian & I took over the running of the event back in 1995, and it is our intention that the run continues. The run holds great memories for us both, from Ian’s first run back in 1966 on the pillion of his Dad’s HRD, to the year when I drove in the car paranoid that something would happen to Ian and our two boys all on our Vincent outfit (& also a little bit jealous that I wasn’t riding as well). Ian hasn’t missed a run since his first in 1966 – even if he’s sometimes been in the car, and even once with a wrist in plaster and neither of us intend the event to cease whilst people still want to ride it.
The only significant change in the event format during all its years is that of an arrangement with a coastal hotel at Brighton who feed & accommodate all us northerners, and this is where our problem now lies.
Despite booking the whole hotel for a night in April (and we book it at least two years in advance) the hotel has now said that it cannot allow us a single night booking even thou it was already booked! After speaking at length, they came back with an offer of two nights (but the price hike was unacceptable) or a single night in March (still with a ridiculous price). We then decided to look elsewhere. Despite contacting the Mayoral Offices, speaking to the Tourist Board who informed me that no hotel would allow a large single night booking, & Discover Brighton team – who confirmed the Tourist Boards gloomy outlook we have concluded that the event will need to change in order to continue.
2012 is the event’s 50th birthday and there is no way that either Ian or I want to miss it – but we want to do it right. We are looking into coastal hotels either side of Brighton and when we find the right one the wagon will start to roll and we’ll let you all know. Why coastal? Well, to us landlocked Midlanders part of the attraction is we ‘do like to be beside the seaside’.
Looking on the practical side of things by the time this has been sorted, the hotel checked, secure parking found …… we are looking at an end of season event rather than a start of season run. Looking on the bright side that gives you longer to get your machines out of the garage and dusted down.
It is not just Ian and I who want continue with the event, as more than one faithful stalwart has said “ If you don’t manage to organise it, we’ll go anyway”.
If you would like to know more and be on our list of contacts – Please email us (even if you have done so before so that we have your current e.mail address) marking the subject ‘Coventry to Brighton 2012’ and we will endeavour to keep everyone up to date.
Kathy & Ian Alexander
thegrate@btinternet.com