Colin gives Tony’s bike a new home

Back in the early 1990s, Guild member Colin Barnett spent a couple of seasons as eligibility scrutineer for the multi-discipline Ford Rallye Sport RS2000 series, in which the late Tony Dron – renowned journalist, talented racing driver and a Guild member – was a leading contender. 

During numerous chats in between activities, Tony was extremely encouraging of Colin’s ambition to become a professional motoring writer. Some time later, Tony’s advice was remembered when Colin had the opportunity to join the staff of Commercial Motor, and the rest is history.

Fast forward to last month, when Colin read the appeal in News Briefs from Will Dron, to rehome his father’s Royal Enfield motorcycle. Colin had plans to return to motorcycling after a break while some eyesight issues were rectified, and the 650 Interceptor was on his shortlist, so it seemed only natural that he should become the bike’s new custodian. 

Within two weeks, a deal was done and the Royal Enfield was carefully transported from Surrey to Mid-Wales. Currently enjoying a few minor upgrades, it will soon be ready in time for some serious touring come the Spring – an excellent outcome for all concerned and a successful News Briefs sale!

Time to sort your Guild Awards 2025 entries

Entries are now open for the 2025 Guild of Motoring Writers Awards (writes honorary secretary Richard Netherwood), with the winners set to be presented with their awards during a black tie dinner held at the Royal Automobile Club in London in December.

The period for submitting entries will last until midnight on Tuesday 30th September and, following judging, finalists will be announced in November. Work published between 1st October 2024 and 30th September 2025 will be eligible for consideration.

The awards presentation will be held at its traditional home of the Royal Automobile Club on 4th December, during the Guild’s Annual Dinner, which always features leading figures in automotive journalism and the industry amongst its attendees.

With the exception of the RAC EV Journalist of the Year and the Sir William Lyons Award, Guild judges will select from up to three submissions per entry, with the best single piece of work from three entrants selected to make up the finalists of each category. Sir William Lyons Award and RAC EV Journalist of the Year entrants are limited to just one submission.

An individual piece of material (such as a story or feature) can only be submitted into one category while books only are eligible to be entered into the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy. The closing date for all entries is Tuesday 30th September 2025. 

For full details on all the award categories, prize money and entry forms go to the Awards pages on the Guild website. Candidates are advised to read the online instructions carefully before entering. If you have any questions about the entry procedure contact Honorary Secretary, Richard Netherwood.

Click here to see the awards categories and criteria

Two wheels and four on Welsh BYOVD 2025

The 2025 edition of the Guild’s Bring Your Own Vehicle Day will see members and their guests mix two wheels and four, starting at one of the largest collections of bicycles in the UK at a venue steeped in automotive history (writes Chair Simon Harris).

The event will take place on Monday 13th October, allowing those regulars who like to make a weekend break of the occasion to have Saturday and Sunday to themselves, with the Guild group meeting at the National Cycle Museum, Llandrindod Wells, at 10am sharp.

The day will end with a visit to Electric Classic Cars in Newtown (pictured above), the world’s largest converter of classic vehicles to electric powertrains, for a tour of the workshop.

Connecting the two will be a route that offers some of the breathtaking landscapes of the Elan Valley.

Members have the opportunity to leave their test cars at home, and enjoy the experience with their own vehicles.

The National Cycle Museum is located in the Automobile Palace, an art deco construction built for Tom Norton, with the facade still showing ‘Cycles’, ‘Motors’ and ‘Aircraft’ on the exterior. Norton began selling bicycles in 1899, and became the Welsh dealer for Ford and Austin cars as well as Ferguson tractors.

Electric Classic Cars has converted more classic vehicles to EVs than any other business to date, and was founded by car enthusiast Richard Morgan. The company has an active social media presence, and its workshop usually contains a number of classic vehicles in various stages of conversion, often with an interesting story behind them.

Places can be requested by emailing Simon Harris and secured by paying £10 per person to the Guild bank account. Simon will provide details on request. The deadline for entries is Monday 29th September.

Photos: Andrew Charman

Moors the Merrier on the Guild Classic 2025

The Guild’s Classic events, initially in the UK and later in Europe, have long been renowned (writes Kim Henson) and my wife Elaine and I have greatly enjoyed the many that we have been able to attend.

Times change, and in order to try to attract more participants from a younger generation of members, this year the Yorkshire-based Guild Classic adventure, dubbed ‘Moors the Merrier 2025’ (‘Austerity’s answer to the Guild Euro Classic’) was deliberately made much more affordable and took place in the wonderful county of West Yorkshire.

Last year, with many regrets, the Guild committee decided to end the formal Guild Euro Classic events as entry costs had climbed to a distinctly unaffordable for many £1,100-plus, entries dwindling to a handful. Moors the Merrier required £372 for all three nights hotel stay for a couple/crew, including breakfast, with all other personal spending discretionary. 

Event organisers Guy Loveridge plus John and Peggy Griffiths worked hard to keep costs much, much lower, while including some fascinating visits and the vital ‘fun factor’ so prevalent in all such previous Guild events. So the accommodation was not at a multi-star hotel on the Continent, but at a pleasant and welcoming country pub, the mock-Tudor Foxglove at Kirkburton, on the outskirts of Huddersfield.

The 31 participants – Guild members, partners and friends – and their eclectic mix of cars enjoyed two full days of outings far and wide across the Moors in a ‘run what you brung’ bevy of family models, sporty machinery and luxurious cars.

In alphabetical order they comprised AC Cobra, Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite, Austin A60 saloon, two Alfa Romeos (Spider Veloce and SZ), Bentley Azure, Citroën DS20, Infiniti G37S coupe, Jaguar F-Type, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz 500SL, Morgan Plus 4, two Porsches (911 and Cayman), a Rover 2000TC and a Subaru (in place of a Land Rover).

Everyone gathered on Friday 8th August for an evening meal at the Foxglove, before an early breakfast on Saturday launched departures eastwards to ‘The Motorist’ at Sherburn in Elmet, on the site of the old Mintex Proving Ground test track in North Yorkshire.

This vibrant centre (started in 2017) is a mecca for enthusiasts in anything from classics through to supercars and motorcycles. It  has grown immensely during the last few years, with parking places for up to 800 cars, and on the day we visited, the venue was buzzing with activity.

In addition to welcoming visits from privateers driving all types, models, shapes, sizes, ages and power outputs, The Motorist is a base for professional workshop operations (servicing, mechanical and bodyshop aspects, plus MoT tests) and hosts corporate events within its office buildings that incorporate a range of meeting rooms.

It also accommodates a busy cafe and a well-stocked shop selling automotive items galore, if you count that Clarkson chap’s Hawkstone lagers and May’s esoteric gin as wheel oilers. Think of The Motorist as an aspiring Bicester Heritage of the north – the Guild party was provided with refreshments and ‘goody bags’ and a fascinating guided tour.

Then it was westward-ho on challenging Moors roads to the village of Holme, for our afternoon and evening base, The Fleece pub. Outside, along with a charming female singing group knocking out familiar songs, was to be found a chequered flag and one Guy Loveridge, past Guild chairman and local resident. This spot was the starting point, more than a century ago, of the first Holme Moss Hillclimb, the motor sport career  birthplace of long-ago legends with names such as Campbell and Redgrave.

A tenner, in aid of the West Yorkshire Air Ambulance, saw Guy wave us off to drive the hillclimb course – but fully legally on what is now a public road and confirmed on return with a signed momento card, having been taken aback by the stunning, almost 2,000ft above sea level summit scenery.

That was unless you chose to carry on down the other side: a jaw-dropping, several miles long and scenically awe-inspiring plunge down to the moorland floor. Our visit was all part of the Holme Moss Centenary Commemoration, the last of five recalling Raymond Mays’ record-setting run up the hill in 1924.

Finally, after dining at the Fleece, it was back across another moorland route to The Foxglove for drinks and a chat in the bar.

Sunday morning saw a more relaxed timetable, with departures from around 10am for The Carding Shed near Holmfirth, via another scenic drive. On arrival, proprietor Ian Kellyus treated us to a comprehensive guided tour of the spacious workshops and storage facilities, The Carding Shed being part of the 200-year old Washpit woollen mill complex.

Ian covered in depth the history of the business, telling true stories aplenty about the wide variety of cars being worked on and in storage. Both bodywork and mechanical servicing and restoration go on here  – all to very high standards with vehicles looked after including examples from the 1920s to the 21st Century.

Following a cuppa in The Carding Shed’s motorbilia-bedecked, huge, hilarious and very busy café (traffic lights for the Ladies and Gents; 100 pushbikes suspended from the roof vigorously denied as being trophies), it was time to move on to something wetter.

No, not to the next pub – but across an enormous expanse of wild, top-of-the-moors landscape, which locals so rightly call the sky route. It took us through part of the Peak District National Park, and eventually on down to Standedge, at the colourful small town of Marsden.

Here the North of England Centre for Music and Arts is housed within an old mill building, part of the Marsden Mill complex. Musical instruments are played, repaired and restored here, with highly respected concerts also held.

It’s not a good idea, though, to charge across the main hall to meet a friend – you’ll get wet. Running down the middle of the hall is a wide, deep channel of water – hold a wedding here, as you can, and the bride can step daintily out of a narrowboat. She’s actually stepping onto the side of the dock where long ago purely commercial barges unloaded their cargoes for the mill, having emerged from the canal tunnel close nearby.

Standedge Tunnel was opened in 1841 and is the longest canal tunnel in Britain at over three miles – for some it must be a place of nightmares. It’s so small that narrowboat navvies had to lie on boat tops and paddle along the roof with their bare feet. And all with the knowledge that above rose 650 feet of not exactly featherweight Pennines. A few of us, including Peggy, ventured Into the dark aboard a guided boat and were rewarded with certificates.

Sensible Guilders lined up their cars by the mill in the sunshine, preened for Guild photographer Jeff Bloxham next to the mill buildings, chatted to local classic and supercar owners, found the zero-alcohol beer bar, speculated idly whether locals wondered what that orange, hot thing in the sky was instead of rain and generally relaxed to the centre’s background music.

There followed the last of the ‘organised’ runs, again via fabulous moorland/hill scenery, reaching The Foxglove in plenty of time for a rest before drinks and presentations in the garden, followed by dinner.

Just two prizes were awarded by Guy and John, the first by John to himself for unintended route book deviations, hesitations or repetitions. Did anyone notice any glitches? If so, it didn’t matter anyway! The second went to Guild guest Nigel Seear for the ‘Spirit of the Event’ – marking his determination to keep his alternator-dead AC Cobra running by acquiring a second battery to connect in series.

On behalf of all the participants, Peter Burgess thanked Guy, John and Peggy for their hard work in putting together this event and making it happen.

My verdict? Over dinner on that last evening the happy buzz of conversation and laughter said it all, I feel. Everyone present seemed to be having fun after a truly great weekend. Without exception, everyone I spoke to said that they had thoroughly enjoyed the event.

On behalf of Elaine and myself, plus our A60, I should like to add my personal thanks for all their fantastic efforts, to Guy, Peggy and John plus AJS 350-riding Guild honorary secretary Richard Netherwood and yet another local Guild member, Martin Ward, who arrived at The Foxglove in his wonderful Morris Mini-Moke to wish us all well.

If you have never taken part in such an event before, I urge you to do so. Everyone was made very welcome, regardless of the type and age of vehicle involved, and we all had a lot of fun – a real tonic, in fact.

Our A60 Cambridge covered 682 miles (thankfully trouble-free), and fuel-wise averaged precisely 34.97 miles per gallon overall. It was terrific to take part in this car, bought in June 1973 by my grandfather and still serving our family well.

Younger members keep an eye out for next year. Not all hillclimbs are on public roads…

All photos unless credited: Jeff Bloxham

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Guild Member Profile – Chris Rees

Chris becomes the latest to contribute to our initiative to help with member recognition and making introductions easier at industry events, by revealing a bit more about members than can be gleaned from their Year Book entry. We would welcome further entries – simply pen your answers to the questions below and send with a suitable landscape-shaped photo to the editorial office.

Name and job title: Chris Rees – Editor of Auto Italia and Motors Editor of The Ferrari Magazine.

How did you get started in automotive journalism? I got chatting to a publisher at a car show when I was just 18, and he suggested I write for one of his titles, Alternative Cars. I wrote a piece that, to my surprise, got published. That led to summer university break work at the magazine and the eventual offer of a job post-uni.

What’s been your most memorable car review or feature piece? Probably my first ever car launch (Citroën AX GT) but otherwise driving the Maserati Levante Trofeo through the Arabian desert – unforgettable.

Which motoring story or investigation are you most proud of? Probably my motoring books, such as Magnificent Seven (the story of the Lotus/Caterham Seven), because so much original research is required. Book authorship makes you more aware of how important it is to go to original sources for authentic stories and information that readers can rely on.

How has motoring journalism changed since you started? The delivery and telling of stories has drastically changed for most journalists, who must now be social media commentators, online news hounds and often videographers, too, as well as journalists in the traditional sense. When I started, I wrote all my stories by hand and passed them on to a typist.

What was the first car or motorcycle you ever owned? A Bond Bug three-wheeler which I drove every day to sixth form college. Then I sold it because it tried to kill me.

Do you have a dream car or other vehicle you’d love to own or drive? Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. I’ve sat in the Alfa Museum’s 1967 example but never had the chance to drive one. It’s my number one car in the world: unsurpassed beauty, motorsport underpinnings and ultra-rare. 

What’s the best road trip you’ve ever been on? Last year’s drive in my Triking Moto Guzzi trike from the UK to the southern tip of Sardinia and back was exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure. Every minor disaster – and they inevitably happen – gives you a story to tell.

Which motoring event do you always look forward to? Our very own Auto Italia Italian Car Day at Brooklands in May – it always delivers surprises.

What’s the biggest challenge facing automotive writers today? Getting a foot in the door. Don’t be afraid to knock on as many doors as you can, and roll with the inevitable rejections.

Where do you see the future of automotive journalism heading? ‘Content creation’ is superseding pure journalism but I hope there will always be a place for good writing.

How do you think vehicle manufacturers could improve their media engagement? Keeping in contact with journalists of all varieties is important – print, channels, influencers. 

What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s ever happened on a car launch? Being ‘treated’ to a town crier at every turn on a launch; throughout the day, he rang his bell and bellowed bellicosely in our ears. Still no idea why. 

If you could swap jobs with someone in the industry for a day, who would it be? Head of car design at Ferrari. Not that I can sketch to save my life. 

What’s your go-to driving music or podcast? Robert Fripp & Brian Eno’s Evening Star.

Mike Rutherford on stage at British Motor Show

This weekend sees the fifth edition of the British Motor Show at Farnborough Exhibition Centre in Hampshire, the event between 15th and 17th August featuring a number of new features as it continues to evolve its offering.

Among the new highlights will be a ‘Best Car of the Year’ competition, the 2025 inductees to the Motoring Hall of Fame, and the launch of ‘Robobike 4D’ – a new and innovative motorcycle simulator. These will add to a host of established features including displays from a number of car manufacturers and retailers, the truck pulling world championship and several other attractions.

Guild members will be playing roles in the event including Mike Rutherford who will be on stage on the Sunday talking about the setting up of Auto Express magazine and some of the weird and wonderful trips he’s enjoyed through his career – a presentation expected to be very colourful…

More details of the show are on the website and for any member who needs assistance or information regarding the show, press liaison is in the hands of Guild member Craig Cheetham, whose contact details are in the Year Book.

Toyota offers AGM experience to Guild

Guild members descended upon the brand-new Toyota Media Experience Centre in Crawley, Sussex, for the 2025 Annual General Meeting on 11th June, for a day in which the essential formal business was followed by great fun driving cars from both the current and heritage Toyota and Lexus press fleets.

The new facility is certainly impressive. As well as providing a base for the 150 or more vehicles of the press fleets, it also offers state-of-the-art meeting rooms, working areas and a photo studio able to easily accommodate a car. Toyota is keen that journalists needing somewhere to work locally make complimentary use of the centre, while the photo studio will be available for hire at what were described as significantly lower rates than are typical. 

Welcoming members to the centre, Toyota head of PR Charles Holcomb was keen to emphasise how Toyota is investing in facilities to help the media in its work. “We see the value in what we do – this is here for you and colleagues to utilise. You might be going to an event, stopping at Gatwick and you can come here and work. We have a photo studio, a soundproof booth – we can facilitate podcasts, anything you need to do…

“We’ve tried to cater for any facilities you might be undertaking. It’s here, it’s a standing open invitation and you can bring other manufacturers’ cars here – we want to make sure this facility is used as much as possible.”

Nicole Chappell has been appointed as facilities manager of the new centre and she is keen to discuss any requirements members may have – she can be contacted by email.    

The Annual General Meeting approved the Guild officers for 2025 as nominated by the committee, these being President: Nick Mason; Chair: Simon Harris; Vice-Chair: Richard Aucock; Honorary Secretary: Richard Netherwood; Honorary Treasurer: Matthew Carter.

Rule 8 of the Guild constitution requires one-third of the full committee retire each year and as the longest-serving members, Chris Adamson, Tim Beavis, John Brooks, Andrew Noakes and Mike Valente retired and offered themselves for re-election. They were duly re-elected alongside the other committee members Richard Aucock, Andrew Charman, Trinity Francis, John Griffiths, Kevin Haggarthy and Simon Harris. Having served six consecutive years, Jim McGill retired from the Committee.

‘The Guild thrives on participation…’

Addressing attendees, Guild Chair Simon Harris said he did not want to offer just a report, but something of a rallying cry, describing the AGM as a reminder of why we matter, and why the Guild continues to be a vital and vibrant part of our industry.

“We are not some relic of the past, we are a living, breathing, evolving network of professionals. – and the more we engage, the stronger and more valuable this Guild becomes,” Simon said.

He highlighted the restoration of the British Racing Drivers’ Club’s invitation to Guild members for the Friday of the British Grand Prix weekend, which he described as symbolising recognition of the contribution members make to the motorsport and automotive narrative, and our long-standing relationship with the BRDC.

A further positive announcement was the return of the Sir William Lyons Award for young writers aged between 17 and 21. Not presented since 2018, the Award now has its traditional support from Jaguar through JLR and also by Autocar magazine.

“This award has launched careers. It’s more than a trophy: it’s an open door to young talent, and a message that excellence in automotive journalism is still something to strive for, and to celebrate,” Simon said.

Launched in the past year, the Young Members’ Forum has become one of the liveliest corners of the Guild. Simon revealed that the Guild’s younger members are connecting, sharing opportunities, asking questions, and arranging activities that they might not otherwise get near.

“This is peer-to-peer support at its best – it’s organic, it’s modern, and it’s growing,” he said, before pointing out that the Guild does not belong to one generation but all of its members and it is made stronger by participation at every level. “From veterans who have seen the industry change beyond recognition, to digital-first freelancers building a career from reels and reviews, your voice counts.”

Simon challenged members to get more involved, stating that the Guild is worth what members get out of it – but also what they put into it. While acknowledging that the media world is evolving fast he emphasised that one thing hasn’t changed; “Storytelling matters, and those who tell stories about cars, bikes, trucks, racing, design, engineering, and the culture that surrounds them – that’s us – still play a vital role.”

Simon also implored members to investigate the wide-ranging benefits the Guild offers. “These are real-world tools that can make a difference to your working life.

“And if you have ideas on what we can do better? Don’t be shy. Contact me, or any committee member. Propose something. Start a conversation. This Guild is not a monolith – it’s a collaboration.”

Challenging times for all activities

Reflecting on another year of “tireless work keeping things on an even keel” by the committee, Honorary Secretary Richard Netherwood first highlighted the successful launch of two new awards presented at the annual dinner in December. 

“The Award for Fundraising run in conjunction with WOMAC proved to be something of a runaway success,” Richard said, adding that the judges had been pleased by the number and quality of entries, and he was confident of a repeat performance this year.

Similarly the Guild’s new Award honouring an organisation in the automotive sector that has excelled in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality, proved a success with a popular initial winner in Females in Motorsport.

Turning to the 2025 Awards, changes to the presentations at this year’s Dinner will see the Guild’s now life-expired pull-up banner backdrop replaced by the RAC Club’s digital screens, which will both look more professional and allow greater flexibility.

BCA, Bentley, Genesis, Hampson Auctions and Kia have already confirmed continued support of their respective awards, Hampson Auctions stating that “we are proud to support an award that celebrates excellence in automotive journalism, and it remains a great fit for our brand and values”.

As mentioned in the Chair’s presentation, the Sir William Lyons Award makes a welcome return this year and Richard paid tribute to the hard work of all concerned in making this happen, including the award sponsor, Jaguar.

Richard also mentioned a proposal for sponsorship of the President’s Trophy, which was due to be discussed at the committee meeting following the AGM. 

Staying with nominated awards, in recent years Young Driver and Rider of the Year winners have consistently failed to attend the Awards Dinner, for various reasons including longer motorsport seasons meaning their seasons had not ended when the dinner was held. In response to this, at the last committee meeting it was agreed that the word ‘Young’ be removed from the award names and the age restriction of under 30 should be dropped. The criterion that both competitors be British remains.

The committee hopes these changes will allow nominations from a wider selection of current competitors, meaning we probably have a stronger chance of the winners attending the Dinner.

Commenting on the change of the Year Book to a softback cover, Richard commented that today’s print technology allows such books to be produced to a high standard. At a time when the Guild needs to minimise costs, the format succeeded in reducing the print bill, while some overseas members helped further by agreeing to receive their Year Book in a digital format.

“Year Book advertising sales made a modest increase last year but many of our current and former advertisers are now subject to far closer budgetary restraints,” Richard said, adding that it is unrealistic to presume any significant increases in advertising sales will be generated by printed media.

Meanwhile how the Guild makes best use of its website is currently under discussion. “Ideally, we’d like to attract more traffic through it, but we have yet to determine how to achieve this – this is very much a work in progress.”

Moving on to Guild activities and events, Richard described this year’s Big Day Out at Castle Combe race circuit as another great success, but added that only the support of the main sponsor, Suzuki GB, along with additional support from KGM Motors ensured the 2025 event could go ahead.

Richard added that Suzuki has indicated that budgetary restrictions will prevent further support of the event while a rise in Castle Combe’s hire rates have forced the events committee to consider how best to stage the event for 2026. “The good news is that, whilst it’s unlikely they’ll match the £3,000 Suzuki contributed this year, it’s highly likely KGM Motors will participate again.”

Forthcoming events to look forward to include the return in August of what was the Euro Classic. Staged over three days, the West Yorkshire-based event will take in some of the best roads and finest scenery the area has to offer.

Richard ended his presentation by confirming the current membership numbers at 343 Full, 43 Associate, 46 Overseas and 97 Retired, totalling 529.

Another loss, but no slowing in effort

Guild Treasurer Matthew Carter opened his presentation by warning that once again he would be the bearer of bad news as in 2024, the Guild had posted a loss for the fourth year in a row.

A deficit of a mere £50 in 2021 had risen to almost £6,900 in 2022, improved in 2023 to £2,300, but rose again last year to more than £8,000, despite serious savings made in every aspect of the Guild’s operation. “We shaved money off our administrative costs, our accountancy bill, the honoraria we pay to Guild officers, and we even saved money on bank charges.”

Matthew also highlighted reduced expenditure on production of the Year Book, though due to what accountants call “a timing adjustment” the official accounts suggested otherwise; “A cost that should have gone into 2023’s figures was missed and has been lumped onto 2024’s figures.”

He described the overall loss as an inevitable sign of the times. “There simply isn’t as much income around as there used to be. For example, income from advertising in the ’24 Year Book fell by more than £2,200 while increased costs at the RAC for the Guild Dinner meant that the surplus from the Awards evening fell by around £800.”

Funds in 2023 had seen  a welcome income boost of almost £5,400 from the sale of licensing rights to the Guild’s footage from the 1950 British Grand Prix, but there were no sales in 2024 and while there had been hopes that this year’s 75th anniversary of the Formula One World Championship might generate more sales of those rights, there had been no takers so far.

“Perhaps the biggest area of concern, though, is the fall in revenue from subscription fees,” Matthew said, adding that the Guild has been losing members as opportunities in motoring journalism disappear and career paths change, while at the same time the ranks of retired members have grown. The committee is working hard to attract new members and retain existing ones.

Rather than dwell on the past, Matthew looked to the future. While subscription fees in 2025 are running below the level of 2024, the committee is working tirelessly to increase other income and further reduce costs. “Honoraria will be lower again in 2025 and, as Richard has already mentioned, we have been able to make significant savings on printing and distribution of the Year Book. We also took more in advertising revenue in ’25, while our accountant, Brassingtons, has offered to reduce its fees in 2025.”

General admin costs will also be lower, with a focus on the production and distribution of Guild ID cards. “The postage bill for sending these out is more than £500 alone… perhaps it’s time we considered digital ID cards that you can keep in your phone’s wallet. There might be a cost element to set this up – we are investigating – but it will undoubtedly save money in the long term.”

Matthew highlighted the increased revenue from the Big Day Out but also the challenges for the future of this event, already outlined by Richard Netherwood. Again echoing Richard’s comments, Jaguar returning as an Award sponsor is a positive move and other potential sponsors are ready to step into the breach if existing sponsors withdraw.

Matthew concluded his presentation with the comment; “There’s no denying that economic conditions are tough – we all know that – but we are doing everything we can to reverse the losses of the last four years.”

Information to help our members

The final presentation saw Guild Benevolent Fund Trustee Richard Aucock reminding members of the essential role the Fund plays, highlighting initially the series of Information Sheets for members promised at the 2024 AGM. Three of these have so far been produced, distributed directly to members and again through News Briefs.

“The aim and purpose of these is to provide a focal point and remind Guild Members that we are your Benevolent Fund, and are here to offer a first line of support, help and advice for anyone who needs it,” Richard said.

The message from the Fund remains unchanged, that it is here, for all members, when it is needed. In present times, when AI is allowing anyone to be a self-selecting content creator across social media and putting all writers, journalists and photographers under pressure in a world when objective, factual writing and editing seem no longer to be of value, the Benevolent Fund is ready to do what it can for those members feeling under siege and in need of support.

“Obviously who we help, and how we help them, is a confidential matter known only to the people directly involved – suffice to say please do not be shy if you would like to talk to one of the Trustees because you are uncertain as to which way to turn when times are tough,” Richard said.

He added the reminder that the Fund exists for individual Guild members and their immediate families. Each case is judged on its merits but the Fund is not a pension provider, insurance company or a bank – it was established as a charitable trust to assist any Guild member who had fallen on hard times, through accident, illness, loss of income, or other calamity, financial or otherwise.

The Fund’s Trustees and the Guild committee keep an eye out for people who might be in need of assistance, but Richard added: “If you need help yourself, or know of another member who appears to be in trouble, please get in touch with one of the Trustees or the Administrator – contact details are in the Year Book. Each and every approach is treated with the utmost discretion and confidentiality.”

The Fund depends on donations from the Guild – a proportion of subscriptions and surplus from Guild activities and sales of merchandise – as well as individual donations from individuals and companies. Richard highlighted JustGiving as a simple, tax-efficient way to make regular or one-off payments to the Fund, and again asked members to remember the Guild Benevolent Fund when drawing up a will. He also pointed out that keen online shoppers can help the Fund through Give as you Live (see below).

Richard concluded: “Remember please, we are on standby by in case you are in need.”

Following the formal meeting members were given a tour of the Media Experience Centre, which is certainly very impressive with many useful facilities for working journalists and photographers.

Toyota kindly provided 12 vehicles to drive from both the current and heritage fleets, and members took full advantage, some being shoehorned from the cars at the end of an informative and enjoyable event. The Guild offers its thanks to the Toyota team in providing a most suitable venue for this year’s AGM.

All photos by Jeff Bloxham

A costly confession?

Your News Briefs editor and the Committee are very keen that more members take up the challenge of submitting an entry for our member profile pieces – you’ll find the latest by Jeff Bloxham further on in this newsletter. So we offer the following tale as a very rare example of what might follow such an entry…   

In the Guild member profile, chair Simon Harris revealed in answer to the question ‘Do you have a dream car you’d like to own or drive?’ that he had a hankering for a Jaguar XJ12 – specifically the generation that was meant never to have a V12 engine.

Guild member Letitia Mace, editor of Xclusively Jaguar magazine, then contacted Simon to let him know that in the collection of cars she and her partner Rob Jenner had curated over the years, there was a 1993 XJ12 that could be for sale.

Simon went to look at the car in May. It was a 77,000-mile example that had always been MOT’d, had been owned by Rob for 26 years and had a file full of bills, history and memorabilia. They discussed business over a cordial dinner, agreed a price and Simon returned on Saturday (14th June) to collect the car and drive it home from the Scottish Borders.

Members are reminded that the Q&A for the profile can be obtained from Simon, or comms officer Andrew Charman, and we encourage all members to use it as a means of getting to know each other better. However, beware of including a ‘dream car’ that is dangerously obtainable and could be sourced through our community of Guild members!

Give as you Live to help Guild Ben fund

Not all members may be aware that those who regularly shop online can help the Guild Benevolent Fund by registering with Give as you Live.

Signing up on the Give as you Live website is free – you then nominate the Guild Benevolent Fund as your chosen charity, and each time you want to shop online you go to the Give as You Live website first and click through to the store you intend to use from it.

Doing this notifies the store in question that you are a Give as you Live supporter, and a donation is automatically made to the Guild Benevolent Fund. More than 6,000 stores take part in the scheme, including leading names such as Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, Tesco, Morrisons, Argos, Currys, Halfords, Travelodge… the list goes on.

So if you intend to make that online purchase this weekend, please go to Give as you Live first. The website explains everything in detail and by using it you will helping the Guild Benevolent Fund to continue its vital work helping our members.  

Guild Member Profile: Dino Buratti

Dino is the latest member to take part in our initiative to help with recognition and making introductions easier at industry events, by revealing a bit more about members than can be gleaned from their Year Book entry. If you’d like to take part simply send to the News Briefs editor with a suitable landscape-shaped photo.

Name and job title: Dino Buratti, researcher/writer (cars), Which?

How did you get started in automotive journalism? I was a student on the MA Automotive Journalism course at Coventry University between 2021 and 2022 after studying history at undergraduate level at Coventry between 2018 and 2021. I then joined Which? in September 2022 after finishing the course; I’ve been there ever since.

What’s been your most memorable car review or feature piece? I often find I have a good time in Japanese cars, with my recent review of the diesel Mazda CX-80 earlier this year being the most memorable. It was, at the time, the most expensive and powerful car I’d ever driven on a week-long loan before, and was the first modern diesel car I’d ever driven on public roads.

The Mazda generally proved itself to be a pleasant antidote to the touchscreen-heavy range of cars I typically drive and was also very upmarket, efficient and spacious. Of greater interest was the fact that the driver who picked the car up from me told me that he’d delivered the same car to one Jeremy Clarkson the week before I had it on loan, which was certainly unexpected.

Which motoring story or investigation are you most proud of? I was (and still am) involved in a long-running investigation into potentially dangerous behaviour that was exhibited by the MG4’s lane-departure warning technology in our lab test of this car. The investigation involved negotiating with MG regarding its willingness to timely develop and release a software update to correct the issue, talking with the DVSA and VCA about how the software update would be approved for UK drivers and enquiring with our car lab for more detail about what happened.

I’ve also helped to raise awareness of the issue, with around 110 MG4 owners contacting Which? to tell us of their experiences with their car’s lane-departure warning technology. The VCA credited the investigation for prompting the update, while the majority of owners we’ve heard from that have received the update are pleased with it.

How has motoring journalism changed since you started? I may not have been in the industry for long, but even in a few years it’s clear that there’s now a greater need to make the most of the resources we have to maximise our outputs.

What was the first car or motorcycle you ever owned? The first (and only) car I’ve ever owned is my 2003 Seat Arosa, which I bought in 2017 to learn to drive in. With test cars often coming and going regularly, it doesn’t get used much but it’s often poignant to drive a car that’s very basic and doesn’t really have any safety equipment fitted. It’s also amusing to tell people that’s the car I own; they expect me to own something more modern or performance-focused.

Do you have a dream car or other vehicle you’d love to own or drive? I could say something exotic like a Ferrari (I am half-Italian, after all). But my dream garage would have four cars in it: an original Honda Insight (for the efficiency) a Volvo 960 estate (for practicality), a Jaguar XJR X308 (for luxury) and a Pembleton T24 (for driving for fun).

What’s the best road trip you’ve ever been on? I can’t say I’ve ever been on a road trip, weirdly. But the closest thing is my weekly (or so) commute from my Worcestershire home to the Which? office in London – it’s around 115 miles each way.

Which motoring event do you always look forward to? I’d say SMMT Test Day in May – it’s one of the few events where lots of motoring writers and content creators come together to drive cars and socialise with brands and each other.

What’s the biggest challenge facing automotive writers today? Changes to how search engines rank websites can make it hard for authoritative content to stand out for search engine users, with less definitive and more questionable content types being promoted over others. It’s therefore harder for writers to gain exposure for their work – regardless of whether they are freelance or employed.

Where do you see the future of automotive journalism heading? In the next 10 or 20 years I expect that a lot of print-focused operations will either significantly reduce their outputs or will close down entirely, as more people consume media online. And with a greater number of influencer-type people posting content through social media and video sites, it will be harder for writers to publish content that’s read by noteworthy numbers of people.

How do you think vehicle manufacturers could improve their media engagement? I often find that different car manufacturers communicate in very different ways. Some representatives are very easy to communicate with and get hold of, while you have to work hard to get very little out of others.

This isn’t related to the number of employees a PR team has; in fact, I often find that the smallest PR teams are among the most responsive while teams with larger staff numbers (or that employ external PR agencies to represent them) are among the least helpful.

What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s ever happened on a car launch? One of the most surreal things to happen to me on a car launch was at the UK launch of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV. The driving route went from Liverpool to near Llandudno and back via North Wales. Part of the route went through Llanberis, which I’d last visited 12 years before as an 11-year old on a family holiday. If you’d have said to me then that the next time I would pass through the area would be on a car launch in a rotary-engined Mazda, I would have scoffed at the very thought of it…

If you could swap jobs with someone in the industry for a day, who would it be? One of my slightly odd interests is related to how manufacturers price cars and the offers they have. I’d be very interested in going behind the scenes to see how they decide what types of offers they’d promote and what sort of customer a brand would target with any given promotion.

What’s your go-to driving music or podcast? I don’t listen to music in my own car. In press cars I’ll either play music off my phone or listen to music stations like Gold.