The Toyota Global Media Centre, close to Gatwick Airport, hosted the Guild’s Annual General Meeting for a second successive year on 18th June, provided over by our President and mixing the formal business required by the Guild’s Articles of Association with some informative and entertaining additions. 

Several revisions to the Guild’s Rules and Articles of Association were approved by the meeting, these being that the Benevolent Fund is only accessible to Full members, Vice-Presidents are able to vote if they are also a serving Officer, that the General Secretary forms part of the Committee and is able to vote if also a Full member, that retired members are able to purchase a Year Book, on request, for a sum decided by the Committee, and the change of a reference to postal votes to electronic votes.

The officers were confirmed unchanged as President Nick Mason, Chair Simon Harris, Vice-Chair Richard Aucock, Hon Treasurer Matthew Carter and Hon Secretary Richard Netherwood.

The meeting saw existing committee members Chris Adamson, Richard Aucock, Tim Beavis, John Brooks, Andrew Charman, Trinity Francis, John Griffiths, Kevin Haggarthy, Simon Harris, Andrew Noakes and Mike Valente all re-elected, alongside returnees John Kendall and Jim McGill, and new addition to the committee Ray Massey.

All AGM photos by Jeff Bloxham unless stated

Putting the case for the Guild’s role

Welcoming members to the AGM, Chair Simon Harris wasted no time in emphasising that the Guild continues to face challenges. “Our industry – media and publishing – is under pressure. The automotive industry itself is in the middle of its most significant transition in a century. As an organisation, we feel both of those forces simultaneously.”

While looking forward to the following financial report with more optimism than he had felt for some years, Simon added that stabilisation is not the same as strength. “We need to be honest with ourselves about what comes next. 

The membership remains the foundation of everything the Guild does financially, but attracting new members and retaining existing ones has become harder. Part of the reason is beyond our control, such as the loss of complimentary breakdown cover from first the AA and then from Start Rescue. “Every year, a number of members lapse, and they still cite that specific loss as their reason – I find that intensely frustrating, and I want to address it directly,” Simon said.

“The Guild is not a breakdown cover provider. It never was. And those members who were here primarily for a free recovery service – and I say this with respect, but with absolute clarity – perhaps should not have been here at all. 

“We cannot build a sustainable, purposeful organisation around benefits that substitute for belief in what the Guild actually stands for. Benefits should reward membership. They should not define it.”

It has often been said that the Guild is worth what members get out of it, but also what they put into it, but Simon pitched for something more specific than a general willingness to be involved. Expressing his thanks to those who step up to fill committee positions, he emphasised that the committee is not the only way to contribute.

“There is plenty you can do right now. Mentoring a younger member costs nothing but time. The return on that investment, both for them and for the Guild’s reputation as a professional body, is considerable. If you have expertise, share it. If you have contacts, use them on the Guild’s behalf occasionally. And if you have opinions about what the Guild should be doing differently, bring them to us – rather than saving them for discussion with colleagues afterwards.”

One initiative that will make a welcome return this year is the Guild Survey. Members, alongside a number of senior journalists outside the Guild, will be asked to give their honest assessment of how automotive PR teams are performing, focusing on such aspects as responsiveness, access, quality of information and relationship management.

“The automotive landscape has changed considerably since this survey was last run,” Simon said. “There are more brands competing for coverage right now than at any point in my career, many of them relying heavily on PR agencies to support smaller, overstretched in-house teams.

“In that environment, the ability to measure performance, benchmark against peers and identify where improvements are needed has genuine commercial value. We believe there will be a strong appetite among PR teams to access that insight. This survey represents a meaningful service to the industry, and a potential revenue stream for the Guild.

“It is also a vital reminder of what the Guild is uniquely placed to do. Nobody else can aggregate the honest, informed opinions of the people who work with these teams every day. That is something only we can offer.”

Simon also mused on what the Guild is actually for, arguing that it is not a trade union but can and should be, a voice for automotive media. “At a time when the value of skilled, experienced automotive journalism is being questioned – when editorial is being produced faster and cheaper by people and platforms with no investment in getting it right – our voice matters more than it has for decades,” adding that against the backdrop of the reality of artificial intelligence and its threat to skilled journalists as publishers seek to cut costs, what the Guild does becomes even more vital.

Mentorship to younger and less experienced writers and photographers trying to find their way in an industry that offers fewer clear pathways than it once did, training and learning that gives members a genuine competitive edge are benefits with real, lasting value that cannot be easily replicated by the AI landscape.

Simon added that the Guild should also be making the case, visibly and consistently, that there is a premium for well-crafted work. “For features conceived, researched and written by human beings who understand their subject, their audience and their craft. That case is urgent. It is more urgent now than at any point in my career, and the Guild is one of the few organisations positioned to make that case credibly.”

He concluded; “The Guild has lasted as long as it has because successive generations of members decided it was worth fighting for. I believe it still is, I hope you do too.”

• Members can expect to receive invitations to partake in the Guild Survey in the late Autumn of this year.

Earlier this year I set about planning a road trip to Mallorca (writes Vice-President Peter Burgess), the final objective being a classic car tour for several days around the island. 

The plan was to avoid the autoroutes as much as possible by allowing four days to drive down eastern France to our ferry from Toulon. Via Michelin proved a great help, highlighting scenic routes with a green band alongside the most interesting roads. 

Our first night was spent just south of Laon in northern France, in the Hotel du Golf de l’Ailette. On arrival we realised we’d been there before, back in 2002 when it was the Hotel Mercure Laon-Chamouille. That was on the third or fourth Guild Classic, ably organised by Guild member Clive Jacobs alongside his mentor Steve Brown from European Routes for Leisure.

That had been a major event for the Guild – 37 cars plus a back-up crew in case of breakdowns, big-time sponsorship from BMW and P&O Ferries, a bevy of historic cars from Ford and Vauxhall and even a couple of Ferraris from the press office!

Great memories were recalled, especially as I was now in the same Porsche that Lynne and I had driven 24 years ago. But the bigger surprise came the next morning when I was packing the Porsche before breakfast. I spotted the number plate S4 ERL, which surely could only be Steve Brown? It was! The coincidence was magnified as we chatted over breakfast. Like me, this was the first time he had revisited the hotel in 24 years! What are the odds?

Steve was nominated a Friend of the Guild for all the work he very generously put in over the years staging Guild Classic events. He’s still doing it – his overnight stay was yet another recce for a group of classic car owners. 

Me? Well, we covered 1,500 miles in total, broke through the somewhat dreaded 100,000-mile barrier and used hardly any oil. The Porsche is currently locked up in a glass cube in Motorworld in Palma while I work out when I can get over to drive it home…

The photo shows Steve Brown from ERL with Peter and Lynne Burgess – Peter adds that they only parked in the disabled spot for five minutes!

Media accreditation is now open for the 2026 Heveningham Concours, which takes place from 26th-28th June at Heveningham Hall in Suffolk.

Described by its organisers as one of the UK’s leading celebrations of automotive and aviation excellence, the event brings together a curated selection of cars and historic aircraft, displayed across the estate’s striking terraces. The automotive Concours takes place alongside an Aviation Concours, Country Fair and Food Festival, attracting more than 10,000 visitors annually.

Media representatives, including journalists, photographers, broadcasters and digital creators, have until the end of the month, 31st May, to apply for accreditation via the dedicated media area of the Concours website. 

A Tour of Suffolk road run will take place on the morning of Friday 26th June, on public roads and not requiring accreditation – the Heveningham Hall estate will not be open to media on this day. The weekend event opens at 9am on 27th June and concludes at 5pm on Sunday, and a dedicated media centre with internet access and refreshments will be available throughout.

For further information or enquiries, contact the media team.

The Guild is delighted to inform members that following last year’s very successful visit to Friday practice day for the British Grand Prix, as guests of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club), the club has again extended an invitation to this year’s event. 

Guild members will be able to attend the event on Friday 3rd July, enjoying lunch in the pavilion alongside the BRDC clubhouse and watching the track action from the recently refurbished clubhouse, a perfect place to reconnect and network with friends old and new.

Due to the popularity of the Grand Prix and the volume of members and guests who attend, the BRDC is limited on numbers. The Guild has been allocated 40 places, which at this stage can only be taken up by full members. 

If you wish to attend, please email the Guild Motorsports committee chair Tim Beavis to reserve your spot. The entry passes will be mailed out nearer the time, along with a parking pass. Please only reserve a spot if you can guarantee attending – with the limitation on numbers it would be a shame if members reserved a place and then did not attend.