The Thoughts of a Dream Rides Organiser  

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At the beginning of 2006 I wrote a brief résumé of the years coming Dream Rides events.  It is only fitting that I should end the year with some thoughts on how the year went.  Ok so by the end of this little diatribe the eagle eyed amongst you will have realist that it isn’t just about Dream Rides but they are my thoughts on the year so let’s start.

It’s been a funny year with events in several parts of the country and venues varying from Palaces to Stately homes, from fields to Exhibition Halls.  In air conditioned comfort to sweltering sunshine and rain with gale-force winds.  Throughout it all Bears have overall enjoyed themselves and added new dimensions to their public face, and broken a few records. 

The Show year began at Ally Pally where once again we were persuaded to attend although this time with a static display having the previous year proved that Dream Rides and the traffic around that area of London do not mix.

A willing small group of enthusiastic Bears helped assemble the display and provide enough people to staff it.  Richard’s Diablo and Henry’s Muira proved to be one of the major draws of the show although they did not eclipse the lovely MGB that made up the trio of cars on display.  With the show now reduced to 2 days set up was completed on the Friday and on Sat and Sunday the public came in.  With Parking at the venue limited the car parks soon became full, so much so that on Sunday, after dropping Boo off at the airport, Don could not get near and had to abandon.

Between bullying, no sorry persuading, people to buy raffle tickets for the customary bear, Janet was equally successful at signing up new members.  Michelle started her training for running the regalia stall at the NEC show by setting out a good display of Bears and clothing.  By the end of the show her first exposure to the public as “Regalia bear” was voted a success.  As in previous years Caroline and Mike opened Hotel McSean to those Bears travelling from the frozen north.  Well north of Watford anyway. For those of us lucky enough to stay at this luxury establishment the weekend was guaranteed to be a success.  So it proved with stand much admired, several new members signed up and £750 raised by the charity collection for Kith and Kids.

And so we moved on to Gaydon for Super Car Sunday.  Despite a gloomy weather forecast it didn’t persist down with rain this year.  Russ Swift did his usual bit to help the charity collection by auctioning the passenger seats for several of his stunts.  At the same time around 25-30 cars were on offer for the Dream Rides which proved as popular as in previous years.  Even without Nigel’s now famous demonstration of gymnastic dexterity whilst closing the roof of a TVR we managed to attract a great deal of attention and raised over £4,100 for the chosen charity Marfan Trust.

July started with us taking the Dream Rides feature to the British Airways Classic Car Show near Heathrow.  Once again the sun shone this time very strongly and Bears were fortunate to be sited next to a line of trees that afforded welcome shade.  Whilst this was a nice show the concept of Dream Rides proved alien to those attending the show.  Despite a good selection of cars we failed to attract many takers for the rides on offer.  The Bears who attended did enjoy the opportunity to relax and socialise in a way not possible at the more hectic shows.  By the end of the day we had not raised much money indeed the record established at the famous Interford Day, for the lowest raised at an event looked to be in danger.  At the end the charity Happy Child received a cheque for £150.  Highlight of the day had to be Jane’s Noddy car being taken home on a full sized transporter after it failed to run and Big Ears, who was rumoured to be the mechanic, could not be found to put it right.  By the way I managed to buy a salt and pepper set that had been produced for use on Concord from one of the stalls so I had a good day.

The following week saw a much different feeling as the annual Kimbolton event proved as popular and financially rewarding as usual.  Once again I could take a back seat and enjoy the show.  With Boo and Don taking the lead in the Dream Rides they ran like clockwork and a steady stream of passengers went out.  The show itself was a major success and raised the now expected massive amount of money for the charity.  Bears who have never been to what is the clubs annual family day have missed the highlight of the year and should make every effort to attend at their first opportunity.

With no Dream Rides in Guernsey this year August came and went without a Dream Rides activity.  (I hear that in 2007 this popular venue may well be visited again so keep your eyes open for news.)

September started with the Bears at Blenheim Palace.  Thanks to Geoff Charley’s contacts the Bears were invited to put on a display at this venue to coincide with the international 3 day horse trials.  What an experience!

We attended for the three days providing a static display and on the final day offering Dream Rides.  Our site was in the main area and alongside the cross country course.  On the Friday we were entertained by all the riders in their best dress clothes and the horses in show condition riding past on their way to the Dressage arena.  On the Saturday we had prime views of the same riders as they pounded past and took the massive jumps two of which were almost alongside our location.  When not watching the riders there were plenty of other attractions on offer.  The massive retail area, or “Welly Heaven” as it became known, was a major attraction for those Bears wanting something different to do (Nice boots Don).  This was particularly useful on the Friday and Saturday when gale force winds and at times heavy rain served to remind us we were outside for this show.  One good thing was that the weather provided the perfect opportunity to road test a tent that Surf & Turf loaned us for the show.  It proved so stable and solid that at times it was used as an anchor for Dons cobra that threatened to be blown away in the strong gusts.

As a final involvement we were invited to take a selection of cars up into the main arena during the final day’s show jumping section and were rewarded by a good reception from the spectators who were massed there.  This proved a good finale for our involvement at the show.  Although only raising £500 for the Helen and Douglas hospice charity, there was a strong possibility that with more advertising of the Bears activity by the shows organisers we could be much more successful in future years.  The Bears general consensus was that the show had been a good social event and had good potential as a Bears venue.  (Memo to Michelle, don’t forget to bring more cuddly dogs to next years show they seem to be more popular at this type of show than Bears).  The organisers obviously valued our participation and have already asked if we would be interested in attending next years show if they addressed the Dream Rides advertising issues.  At the same time the organisers of the Chatsworth International 3 Day horse trials took the opportunity to ask if we might be interested in attending their event in May next year.

 One week later a small number of Bears and their cars responded to a personal invitation from the “Red Arrows” to attend their own family day at their Base at Skampton Lincs.  After watching a flying display the Bears offered passenger rides down the runway as a thank you for the invite.  An impromptu collection in a cardboard box where the passengers waited raised almost £200 whilst Bears enjoyed the opportunity to open up their cars to speeds not possible on public roads.  Barbara even drove Paul in the Viper up to 100 mph on one of the runs.

And so to the final event of the year our annual NEC bash. Prior to the show cars seemed to be coming in rather slow and with just 3 weeks to go I only had around 40 cars booked.  Was this to be the first show when Bears failed to deliver the goods? I should have known better to even ask the question.  Boy how they delivered read on to find out to what degree.

For some the show started earlier than most.  On the preceding Sat Pete Bryant arranged for a display at the large Tesco store in Coventry.  Allan Smith took his Camaro to join Pete’s GT 40 to make a 2 car display that drew the public’s attention all day.  The NEC publicity machine also did us proud with reference to Sporting Bears Dream Rides featuring on most of the major radio stations and within almost all of the major magazines.  We even made onto the Top Gear web site.  During the show itself we had a live interview with BBC Radio.

At the show, as a static display, the stand looked even better than ever.  The clubs new tents arrived on time and provided both accommodation and a corporate image, the sides being printed with the relevant logos.  As last year the display wall provided a professional look to the Dream Ride car display.  And then there were the cars.  We only had 3 as one promised did not turn up but what a trio.  Tony Pitt’s stunning Stingray racer, a unique replica of a one off Stingray now residing in the company collection, was the centre piece.  It was flanked by two of the most desirable super-cars of the present day.  On one side was a bright yellow Porsche Carrera GT and on the other was a red Ferrari Enzo.  With the trio of cars we had it was no surprise that the Bears stand enjoyed more than the normal amount of interest.

In the garage the cars began to arrive and continued to do so until we had all the spaces taken.  On Friday we offered a choice of around 45 cars and on the other two days around 65.  All we needed was the public to make the donations.  At the last minute Paul, who was unable to do Dream Rides this year, offered to take the first 20 people who would donate £100 for three laps of the Silverstone GP circuit in the Enzo at the next Ferrari track day in April 2007.  Within 3 hrs all 20 places had been snapped up.  At the same time it became clear that many of the public had made a beeline for the Dream Rides in response to the pre show publicity.  The day went well and by the end of Friday, despite the usual first day low attendance, the charity pot stood at £7,000

Saturday brought another fine day.  By 10 most of the cars had arrived and we were open for business.  Paul had been so delighted by the success of his Friday Enzo offer that he declared his intension to make the same offer to up to another 80 people over the remaining two days.  In addition they could choose either the Enzo or the Carrera GT.

With rides going well and Paul’s offer proving equally tempting the money rolled in.  It soon became apparent that something special was on the cards and so it proved.  At the end of the day Boo was able to reveal that Bears had raised a new one day record for the Dream rides of £12,500 bringing the running total up to £19,500.  This meant that with one day left just £7,500 was needed to equal the NEC Dream Rides record.

 Sunday began with a real sense of purpose. Cars began arriving and the roads were again dry.  When we were told that there was so much traffic around the NEC that jams were inevitable it seemed the public were to be with us in large numbers.  So it proved.  Aided by regular references to the Dream Rides from the celebrities on the big stage the money grabbers were kept busy.  In addition Paul’s 80 places continued to disappear fast.  At midday a provisional count put the total money raised by Bears at £26,500, some 3 hrs later it had reached £30,000 and we knew we were in uncharted waters.  By the end of the show no one was prepared for the final figure.  The highest figure that anyone dared guess was £32,000, but even this was short of the real total, which at present stands at £36,000.  Not only is this a new record for Dream Rides anywhere it is the highest amount raised by any single event organised by the Bears.  Included in this figure is a new one day Rides record of £16,000.  It all means that not only can we meet our commitments to Acorns, Dorothy Goodman School, Jennifer Trust, Leicester Downs Group and Lings Forum Special Needs Gym Club but can also consider other charities for help as well.

As a final event for the year I could not have hoped for a better climax. It brought to an end a year which has seen new venues explored, many lessons learned, new friends made, records set, and more opportunities opened.  For some reason this NEC event seemed to take place in an amazing atmosphere.  There seemed to be an unusually relaxed mood about.  It was great to see more Bears than ever joining in and taking part particularly some of the driver’s partners who could be found enjoying new found identities taking money and booking rides.  Drivers too got involved in other tasks both on the stand and in the garage whilst waiting for their rides.  Colin and Janet did their usual trip round the show getting an amazing number of people to buy raffle tickets and all Michelle’s training at other shows paid off with the regalia stand taking a great deal of money.  Yet another source of money was revealed when it was discovered that people would actually pay to come on the stand for a closer look at the cars.  In a very short time the Drivers “relaxing” as stand monitors had raised over £400 just rattling tins at people who crossed the barriers.

Nothing more to say other than a big thank you for everyone who has in any way contributed to the success of the events I have tried to describe.  Whilst I can organise the venues and create the environment for the activities it is you who actually bring the efforts to life and make them work.  I just hope that over the year you have had as much enjoyment out of these Bears activities as I have.  My final hope is that those that took part this year will feel motivated to do it again next year and those who were unable to “come out and play” this year will take up the invitation to come and join us in 2007.  In the mean time can anyone tell me how the hell we are going to top the NEC record next year at the moment I am stumped.

One final fact has come to light in preparing this report.  The first Dream Rides event took place at the NEC Classic & Sportscar Show in May 1994.  Since that date we have developed this activity and used it at many locations including Scotland, Brooklands and Gaydon to name a few.  Apart from 2003 we have taken the “Rides” to the NEC each year.  During this years Dream Rides the overall total raised at the NEC went past the £200,000 mark.  By the end of the show the running NEC total now stands just under £213,000.  When you, add to that figure, all the other Dream Rides events nationwide we must now have raised around £300,000 with a simple idea for an activity with 15 cars at the original event.  Everyone who has played any part in any Sporting Bears Dream Rides event can look at that figure and feel proud.  Well done only £200,000 to go to the half million.

Mick Bryan