Many of us will be working at home for the foreseeable future writes Richard Aucock.

This is going to change the way motoring journalists do business. One effect may be the growth in video conferencing.

But where do you start? To help, here are four popular and, crucially, free video conferencing tools for you to try.

As more people start routinely using them, it might be worthwhile downloading the apps and getting familiar with them.

The Guild itself may even soon be utilising the power of video conferencing: watch this space…

Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts offers apps for both desktop and mobile, or can be used in a web browser. It allows video calls with up to 10 people and is a simple, paired-back tool. Simply type a Gmail address or share a link to invite people to join.

Bafflingly, the paid option is called Google Hangouts Meet, which G Suite customers get for free.

Following the coronavirus outbreak, Google is offering some Hangouts Meet functionality to other users for free until 1 July 2020.

Skype

Skype is well known by most people. It allows group calls for up to 50 people and will work within web browsers, if you don’t want to download the app.

You can share screens, blur your background, record chats and even add live subtitles onto discussions.

Skype for Business is the paid tier and adds Microsoft Office integration plus chats with up to 250 people.

WebEx

WebEx is owned by Cisco. Despite this, there’s a free version. This allows video meetings for up to 100 people, including screen sharing.

There is a WebEx meetings app (which can be confusing to use in practice), or it can be used through a browser.

Cisco even includes 1GB of cloud storage within the free package (so you can record and relisten to meetings), plus unlimited meetings of unlimited length. If you want to sign up for a premium plan, there’s currently a special offer code to save you some money.

Zoom

Zoom has apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, making joining a meeting easy whatever device you have. There are plugins for Chrome and Microsoft Outlook to help with scheduling meetings.

The free version lets you hold one-on-one calls or groups of up to 100 people, albeit with a 40-minute time limit.

Zoom allows you to share desktop and application views, although if you want to record the meeting, you have to move onto a paid tier.

What are your experiences of these (or other) remote working tools? If you have opinions and tips to share email them to webeditor@gomw.co.uk.

In the light of yesterday’s Government advice on non-essential gatherings and travel,  the GOMW Executive Committee has decided to postpone both the Castle Combe Big Day Out (08 April)  and the AGM at Silverstone (13 May). It is hoped to re-arrange both for the autumn with the continued support of our sponsors.

Those who have booked and paid for the Big Day Out will be contacted individually and offered the options of either holding over their entry fee until the autumn or being refunded. Those who have already booked to attend the AGM will also be informed individually of the postponement.

The planned Bring Your Own Vehicle Day which we had hoped to arrange for June or July is under review. Details on these and other Guild activities will be updated as the national situation becomes clearer. For news updates see www.gomw.co.uk/virus.

The best automotive media work of the year was recognised at the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Annual Awards on Thursday 5 December at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London.

Categories covered everything from consumer journalism to motorsport, and were accompanied by awards for those making a special contribution to the Guild, to the world of motoring and in motorsport.

Click each winner’s name to see their winning entry (note some are large files and may take some time to download).

Pemberton Trophy

Winner: Simon Taylor
Presented by Guild chairman Richard Aucock

GOMW/MIPAA Young PR Professional of the Year

Winner: Camilla Scanes (Audi)
Presented by Richard Aucock and Mark Harrison
Highly Commended: Emma Gaffney (Citroën), Alex Henderson (freelance), Tom Lynch (Volkswagen)

Mercedes-Benz Award for the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy

First: Simon Taylor

Presented by Lord Montagu and Mercedes-Benz press and PR manager Andrew Dean

Second: Daniel Cabart/Gautem Sen 

Collected by John Nikas

Third: Philip Porter

AA Campaigning Journalist of the Year

Winner: Erin Baker (part 2, part 3)
Presented by AA PR executive Sarah Lewis
Highly Commended: Jack Carfrae, Hugo Griffiths

Audi Photographer of the Year – General

Winner: Nick Dimbleby

Presented by Audi head of press and PR Gavin Ward
Highly Commended: Matt Howell, Drew Gibson

Audi Photographer of the Year – Motorsport

Winner: Jayson Fong
Presented by Audi head of press and PR Gavin Ward
Highly Commended: Drew Gibson, Will Broadhead

BCA Feature Writer of the Year

Winner: Dan Trent
Presented by BCA marketing director Bradley Lucas
Highly Commended: Will Dron, Jim McGill

Bentley Editor of the Year

Winner: David Lillywhite (part 2, part 3)
Presented by Bentley UK communications manager Mike Sayer
Highly Commended: Mark Bursa, James Ruppert

CNH Industrial Commercial Vehicle Writer of the Year

Winner: Brian Weatherley (part 2, part 3)
Presented by CNH vice-president of corporate communications Richard Gadeselli
Highly Commended: Will Shiers, Martin Kahl

GKN Automotive Consumer Journalist of the Year

Winner: Jonathan Gibson
Presented by GKN Driveline director of marketing and communications Rachael Griffiths
Highly Commended: Claire Evans, John Evans

IAM RoadSmart Safety Award

Winner: Jack Carfrae (part 2, part 3), collected by Simon Harris
Presented by IAM RoadSmart senior communications executive Rodney Kumar
Highly Commended: Maria McCarthy, Claire Evans

Market Engineering Award for Automotive Technology Journalism

Winner: Alex Grant (part 2, part 3)
Presented by Marketing Engineering senior account manager Christian Tilbury
Highly Commended: John Evans, Martin Kahl

Newspress Young Writer of the Year

Winner: Charlie Calderwood (part 2, part 3)
Presented by Newspress editorial director Tim Bowdler
Highly Commended: Rachel Boagey, Ben Custard

Peugeot Motorsport Cup

Winner: Vaishali Dinakaran (part 2, part 3)
Presented by Peugeot PR manager Kerry Livsey
Highly Commended: James Taylor, Nick Trott

Prova PR Business Writer of the Year

Winner: Alex Grant (part 2, part 3)
Presented by Prova PR managing director Richard Postins
Highly Commended: Nick Gibbs, Andrew Charman

RM Sotheby’s Classic Writer of the Year

Winner: Karl Ludvigsen (part 2, part 3)
Presented by RM Sotheby’s classic car specialist Paul Darvill
Highly Commended: Gustavo Ruffo, James Elliott

VSCC Specialist Writer of the Year

Winner: David Lillywhite (part 2)
Presented by VSCC Bulletin editor Matthew Bell
Highly Commended: Chris Pickering, Greg MacLeman

Gallagher/The Guild of Motoring Writers Journalist of the Year

Winner: Alex Grant
Presented by Guild chairman Richard Aucock and executive director of special risks at Alesco Risk Management Services David Gray

Special Commendation 
for a Contribution to Motoring
sponsored by Kia

Winner: Catherine Bond Muir, founder of W Series
Presented by Kia director of aftersales and service Chris Lear and Guild chairman Richard Aucock

GOMW Rider of the Year

Winner: Emma Bristow, six-times World Women’s Trials Champion
Presented by Guild chairman Richard Aucock and BRDC president Paddy Hopkirk

GOMW Driver of the Year

Winner: Jamie Chadwick, W Series Champion
Presented by Guild chairman Richard Aucock

President’s Trophy

Winner: Paddy Hopkirk MBE
Presented by Guild vice-president Ray Hutton 

Congratulations to all the winners! 

Pictures by Jakob Ebrey

Tickets can now be purchased for The Guild of Motoring Writers Annual Dinner and Awards evening on Thursday, 5 December 2019 at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London.

The event, which celebrates the Guild’s 75th anniversary, is for GOMW members, motor manufacturer PR personnel and industry colleagues who will be joined by guests from Formula 1, World Rallying and Le Mans. Unfortunately due to lack of space, partners cannot be included.

The evening includes a meet-and-greet drinks reception, a three course festive menu (a vegetarian/vegan option is available) and wine with the meal, followed by port or brandy, coffee and mince pies. It will commence with a reception at 6.30pm in the Committee Room, with dinner being called at 7.15pm in the Mountbatten Banqueting Room, followed by the awards presentations announced by Guild member and Formula One race commentator Ben Edwards.

The ticket price is £96 per person (including VAT). Dress is formal: Dinner Jacket/Black Tie.

An electronic booking form and menu selection is available from the general secretary Patricia Lodge at generalsec@gomw.co.uk and should be returned to arrive no later than 14 November 2019.

Traffic-free, surprisingly well- maintained country roads, gourmet cuisine, great company, faultless hospitality and mostly ideal June weather conditions made the 2019 Euro Classic Irish backstop a big success writes Chris Adamson.

The contingent of Euro Classic regulars were joined by friends from the world of PR; Richard and Frances Gadeselli making their event debut in Richard’s Alfa Romeo Spider, previous participants Gordon and Marilyn Bruce in their E-Type Jaguar and Julian and Julie Leyton in a recently renovated Triumph Stag.

Award for the furthest travelled went to American Guild member Bob Kocher and his wife Connie who had flown from their home in Ohio and collected a 1980 MKI Cavalier from the Vauxhall Heritage collection at Luton, thanks to the chauffeuring services of Guy Loveridge and his MKI Jaguar.

Eighteen cars in total, spanning more than 75 years of automotive history, assembled at Fishguard on the western tip of Wales for the three-and-a-half hour crossing with Stena and, for once, the normally feared Irish Sea was almost flat calm.

Participants were given an elevated view of the journey to Rosslare with an exclusive visit to the bridge hosted by Captain Marek – a location normally off-limits to passengers.

For those who had made a long journey to start the event, the short drive from Rosslare to the Ferrycarrig Hotel just outside Wexford was welcomed as was the chance to relax in the spa or bar before dinner overlooking the River Slaney estuary.

Saturday dawned bright and the refreshed crews headed west along a picturesque route using less-travelled roads which had been previously checked by John and Peggy Griffiths – first destination was the historic port of Waterford.

Early arrivals had time to wander through the streets and enjoy coffee and cakes before a 50-minute guided tour of the world-famous Waterford Crystal factory.

Each process in the production of the hand- blown, hand-cut products was demonstrated by craftsmen who have taken a minimum five-year apprenticeship to learn their skills.

Back on the road, the route book then headed east crossing the wide expanse of Waterford Harbour using the picturesque East Passage car ferry and then on to Johnstown Castle, home of the Irish Agricultural Museum.

We were given permission to park in the museum courtyard which is normally populated only by a family of very vocal peacocks with which Stuart and Jennetta Bladon’s playful terrier Micky attempted to engage.

Museum curator Matt Wheeler provided the private tour of the castle (open to the public for the first time this year) explaining the fascinating history of the house, which was first built in the medieval period by the Esmond family, who had come to Ireland as part of the Anglo-Norman invasion in the 12th century.

Most of what is seen today is attributable to remodelling in the 18th and 19th centuries taking on a gothic revival style. Its ownership has changed hands many times, in the main due to tragic circumstances which befell its colourful occupants. It was given to the Government in 1942 for agricultural research.

Unfortunately, time wasn’t sufficient to see all of the exhibits in the adjacent agricultural museum as many decided to return to the hotel to change before dinner at the Thomas Moore Tavern in the heart of old Wexford – one of the oldest hostelries in the town.

There was a strong cultural atmosphere in the pub, in the main contributed by a live televised hurling match between Wexford and arch rivals Kilkenny – thankfully it ended in a draw so everyone was happy.

Sunday involved the longest section of the weekend, a 50-mile road run north parallel with the coast into neighbouring county Carlow. The convoy was now down to 17 cars after Chris and Gillie Mann’s recently acquired 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/15 Barker Sedanca De Ville failed to proceed – subsequent investigations traced the problem to a faulty distributor.

Gillie didn’t miss out on the day thanks to Peter and Lin Baker offering a ride in their Daimler Conquest which they had acquired only a few months earlier.

Primary destination was Huntington Castle, a privately owned manor house which is still lived in by descendants of the family who built it in the 17th century as a garrison to patrol trade routes along two neighbouring river valleys.

Current owner Alexander Durdin- Robertson swung open the gates of the castle himself to allow the cars to park on the gravel driveway that helps frame the picture-book entrance.

With Alexander as the guide everyone was taken on an entertaining and information-packed journey back through four centuries of history on the site and shown the rooms the family still use every day. The castle really is a hidden gem in the Irish countryside.

Many took up the option of a homemade lunch before departing – the forecast of rain (yes there had to be some, after all it was Ireland) encouraging many to head back to the hotel foregoing a visit to Fox Drew Brewery on route.

Some brave crews elected to make a detour to head for a classic car show at Wells House where they found Chris Mann in his now operational Rolls-Royce.

Those who chose to complete the itinerary were treated to an instructive afternoon with craft brewer Malcolm Molloy and his Texan wife Andrea (they also run a bar in Chicago) who explained the brewing process before offering samples of the four beers they produce.

Each of the beers (under the banner of Cleverman Beers), with their own distinctive taste, is named in honour of a famous Irish inventor, for example, Little Willie is named after the tank designed by Walter Gordon Wilson and 12ft Under for the first submarine created by John Phillip Holland.

Dinner back at Ferrycarrig rounded off the event in style although no one was staying up late as a 6.30am departure was required to make the return ferry crossing to Fishguard and all points east.