Unfortunately, our plans to hold the first WGMW PR Driving Day since 2019, have hit a hiccup. We were due to hold the event at Castle Combe Circuit, where the event has been held since it began over 30 years ago.
Now that events are up and running again at Castle Combe, it’s not surprising that the circuit is in high demand this year. That meant that the only date we could secure from the ever-helpful Castle Combe team was Wednesday 1 June. The date chimed with our usual summer timing for the event, but it was also just before the Spring Bank Holiday on 2 June and the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday on 3 June. Add in that it is half-term week for most schools and an attractive date starts to look a bit less so.
We factored this in and took soundings from our regular participants. Enough of them responded positively to the date for us to think that we should be able to make it work. As the date has moved closer it has become clear that we simply do not have enough support to stage the event. We would not have enough cars or people to make the day work as usual and the group stood to make a catastrophic financial loss. We had no alternative but to cancel the date.
Our hope was that we might be able to find a date in the Castle Combe calendar to run the event a little later in the year. It has, after all, never been staged anywhere else. Unfortunately for us, the demand for the circuit has not eased up and there is no available date until November – far too late for us to stage the event this year.
We would still like to proceed in 2022, if possible, which means exploring alternative venues. We have made enquiries at two further potential venues and think we may have found one. We may be able to run the event in early/mid-September if there is sufficient support. It is currently under discussion with the committee and the group and we hope to have more news soon. Watch this space.
Photo by Norbert Braun on Unsplash
