The British Motor Museum has launched a brand-new scheme which allows members of the public to ‘adopt’ one of the cars in their collections. From the Albion A1 8hp dog cart to the Wolseley 2200 (last of line), cars that form part of the Museum’s permanent collections will be available to adopt. 

Anyone interested in adopting a car just needs to look at the Museum’s Online Collections and choose the ‘adoptable’ filter. Adoptions cost between £25 & £100 and adopters get a digital adoption certificate and their name added to the car’s listing in the Online Collections.

Cat Boxall, Curator at the British Motor Museum, said, “By sponsoring one of the iconic vehicles in the collection, people can play a vital role in preserving this important collection for the next generation to discover and enjoy. These adoptions make the perfect gift for anyone who worked in the British motor industry or has always loved a particular British classic”.

This new scheme helps to support the overall work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. It could help with the restoration costs of recent additions to the collection, support the preservation of historic documents in the Archive, or fund outreach community work. Most importantly, it will help the British Motor Museum to continue to tell the story of the Britain’s motor industry, the people's industry, now and in the future.

For more information, please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/support-us/adopt-a-car

To explore the Online Collections please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/online-collections

The British Motor Museum has Christmas wrapped up with a host of festive lunches in the roof-top Sky Suite, a selection box of family-friendly Christmas activities, and a wide choice of Christmas gift ideas.

Christmas lunches are available from 12pm – 2pm on 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14 December. Visitors can enjoy a seasonal two-course or three-course lunch with all the trimmings, glass of wine or soft drink and crackers for £29.95 for 2 courses or £34.95 for 3 courses. (Member discounts apply). Entry to the Museum is included for all diners on that day, and lunches must be pre-booked.

Christmas activities take place from 8-23 and 28-30 December when the Museum is open from 10am – 5pm each day. Children can take part in the Great Elf Hunt to search for the elves hiding amongst the cars! Younger visitors can also enjoy Christmas Crafts, including making a motoring-themed Christmas Tree decoration, designing a personalised Christmas card/thank you card and colouring in festive-themed sheets. There’s also the opportunity to make a Princess Mary box. In 1941, during WW1, Princess Mary wanted to ensure all soldiers on the front line would have a gift for Christmas and these boxes were filled with treats including chocolate, a card and pictures of the Royal Family. All activities are suitable for 5 plus years and included within the Museum entry fee.

‘New Year Family Fun with LEGO’ runs from the 2 – 8 January. Children can tackle the ultimate LEGO car-building challenge, and search for car parts in the family trail - the perfect way to get 2024 off to a flying start! Activities are suitable for children aged 4 plus. 

Looking for inspiration for that perfect Christmas gift? Home to over 400 iconic classic and vintage cars, the Museum offers a great day out for petrolheads, culture seekers and lovers of all things British, so why not give a Gift Voucher, which is available to purchase online, and every purchase supports the charity. Museum Membership gives Members free entry to the Museum, including all special weekend show days. Members are also offered exclusive opportunities to preview great new exhibitions, take a private tour and attend Members only events. Membership is available from just £42 per year.

Heritage Certificates are an ideal gift for anyone who owns a cherished classic car and are available for just £48 plus P&P. The Certificate is an official ‘Certified Copy of a Factory Record’ showing the car’s specification as it left the production line. Details are taken from the original production records created by many of the leading British motor manufacturers. Deadline for UK orders is 15 December.

Other fantastic items available from the online shop include a Replica Tax Disc priced at £26, Mini and Land Rover 32GB USB sticks priced at £14 and £16, respectively, a reversible Land Rover Scarf priced at £14, an archive image tea towel at £7.99, a fine bone China mug at £9, and a bespoke 1000 piece British Cars of the 60’s Jigsaw priced at £18.70.

Brand new for this Christmas is the chance to gift your child an unforgettable creative experience at the “Let’s Animate Saturday Club”! Run by professional animator Gemma Foy, this 5 week animation club offers budding animators a place to develop and sharpen their skills, inspired by the Museum’s stunning collection of cars. Tickets are now on sale for the 5 weekly sessions, from 24 February to 23 March 2024, at £100 per child. There are only 16 places available, so act quickly to avoid disappointment!

To find out more about the festive lunches visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/festive-lunches

For more information about Christmas activities visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/driving-home-for-christmas

To see the full range of gift ideas, please visit https://shop.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/

All shop purchases and visits help support the Museum as a registered educational charity No 286575.

Don’t Walk By
It’s important that we all look out for those who may be vulnerable during very cold conditions, including rough sleepers.

“StreetLink” London exists to help end rough sleeping in the capital

People sleeping on the streets will be at risk of life-threatening conditions, such as cold exposure and hypothermia. If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, send an alert to “StreetLink” by going to their mobile app or by calling 0300 500 0914, or at this link.

 See you at the Ace !

Automotive industry charity, Ben, has launched its new Health & Wellbeing survey for 2023 and is encouraging everyone who works, or has worked, in the industry to share their experiences, with the chance to win a £500 Amazon voucher. The survey is confidential and takes around 10 minutes to complete.

Ben’s annual survey helps the industry charity understand what health & wellbeing-related issues have been affecting automotive industry people over the past 12 months. Ben then uses the information collected to ensure the charity provides the support services people need now and in the future.

By taking part, respondents also enable Ben to let automotive employers know what health & wellbeing support employees would like to see in their workplace. The aim is to directly help individuals, as well as helping build a more supportive and resilient automotive industry.

Help us to help you - take the survey now!
To help Ben support you and your colleagues now and in the future, take part in the survey: click here.

Last year’s survey indicated that:

• 99% of automotive workers were personally affected by a health and wellbeing issue over the 12-month period
• Stress was the most common issue (66%), followed by poor sleep and low mood
• Anxiety and depression issues are more common in the automotive industry than in the rest of the UK working population (1 in 3 versus 1 in 6)
• High workload was the biggest driver of stress in the workplace.

Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben, said: “We would like as many people as possible from our industry family to take part in our annual survey so we can gain vital insights into what’s currently going on from a health & wellbeing perspective. This then enables us to focus our efforts on supporting people in the right way, with the right resources. Help us to help you and take the survey now! Just 10 minutes of your time will make a massive difference to our understanding of the needs across our industry, and ultimately the health and wellbeing of our automotive family.”

Ben is here for those who work, or have worked, in the automotive industry and their family dependents. If you need support, get in touch via our free and confidential helpline: 08081 311 333 or use our webchat at www.ben.org.uk. You can also access Ben’s out of hours text support line by texting BEN to 58258.

For employers who would like to find out more about working in partnership with Ben, or who would be interested in discussing Health & Wellbeing support for employees contact Rachel Clift, Health & Wellbeing Director at Ben: [email protected].