28,000 members - a milestone moment

by Paul Sweeney.

Over 28k members!

Making it over the 28k members line is surely worth a moment's pause to reflect.

It was a little over 7 years ago on 1 February 2014 that John Simpson decided to set up a Facebook group exclusively for lovers of classic British motors. John didn't know how it would work out, but accepted my offer to help run things quite early on in 2014 after the original Admin team members had departed for various reasons. 

​As a result John soon found himself very stretched; with multiple other Facebook groups and also the much longer established Boston Classic Car Club all requiring his precious time, I took on the challenge of running the group with John's blessing and set about gradually building today's Admin team from very carefully selected members.

​The Admin team has grown in experience and capability, maturing as the group itself grew over the years, remaining strong and constant throughout some pretty turbulent times of very rapid growth. Back then we used to jokingly refer to the group as "The Wild West" which gives you an idea of how things once were.

Huge gratitude and appreciation goes to my friends and colleagues who continue to make up the Admin team (in no particular order);

• Zebidee Habib
• Mike Peake
• Gar Cole
• Steve Favill
• John Simpson
• Edwin Feenstra

The group has over the years matured into a calm oasis of fun yet civilised enjoyment and mutual respect despite our relatively large numbers - these peaceful waters are rarely troubled by the irksome antics that plague other online communities and when trouble does strike it is invariably dealt with swiftly and effectively by the experienced team.
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Not only has the Facebook group grown in size beyond all of our wildest expectations, but our online presence has over the years spread onto various different platforms including our own website www.britishmotorvehicles.com which is designed, built and run by yours truly and also our own Instagram page www.instagram.com/enthusiasts_of_british_motors/ which is looked after brilliantly by Emily Fleur-Peake.

In addition to these online activities, we have also developed a vibrant 'real world' side to the club driven tirelessly by Gar and ably assisted by Mike. Their achievements include running several official club stands at the Practical Classics Resto Show and the Lancaster Classic Motor Show, both held annually at Birmingham's NEC as well as numerous static shows and driving tours. Oh, and did we mention we won a Judges Choice Award for our stand at the NEC in November 2019? Do join us at a future event - new folk are always welcome! The current list of planned official events can be seen here

I'd like to thank my fellow Admins for all their time and effort and also all the members who make the group worth visiting again and again with so many interesting, informative and enjoyable contributions.

​Hopefully we will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead.