News & Events 

Tatton 2001

This Review of the 2001 Tatton Park get-together is from Barb Littlewood, who organised the very first, on the 2nd and 3rd of June 1990, and every one since!
 
 Who would have thought all those years ago when Fred bought me my J Van (OYF 470, a Postal van now owned and being restored by Register member B Smalley) that I might still be playing vans in 2001?

 It was all just a bit of a joke. 'We'll hold the National J Van Meeting here each year' said Fred  to Pete & Helen Smith who had just bought 'Harvey' (8444 UA, from the Top Farm Agricultural Museum and Craft Centre) but it happened and each and every year from that day to this we have all met up to have a great crack and spend our weekend extolling the virtues of the beautiful ‘J’ type.

 Tatton seems to be one of those places which attracts all the right people (well mostly!) who ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ about the real things in life and cast a pitying eye at those who sit with their modern machinery and a polishing rag! It does have to be said that this year we had lots of shiny J's and Bob Strutt (8908 NX) was noted with his polishing rag in hand - poor Bob, it’s bordering on an affliction!!!

 We were pleased to see friends old and new and it was great to welcome the two Dave's with the Cumberland Pencil Van - Alan Wray says he is too long in the tooth to travel all the way from the Lakes in the van and so it was left to Dave Fanthorpe to carry the banner and dispel the idea that NRM 284 was just a static display - he tells me that she is used in anger each week by Charlie Birkett making deliveries in and around Keswick. The other Dave was Dave’s dad, who supplied some of the photographs used on this page, and also a couple of mpegs which will be there for you to click on if we work out how to do it! So a big thanks to Dave Fanthorpe Senior from all of us.
 
 It is always a thrill to see the J's arrive - normally under their own steam. However, this year was a little embarassing for our illustrious leader as ‘Tricky Dickie’ (5003 NX) decided to stamp his feet when Harvey and Co. had to get out to dip their’s in the foot and mouth disinfectant. With his van refusing to restart, Harv had to be towed in by our stand's very own personal recovery vehicle - Iain MacKenzie's Series 1 Land Rover. Both van and driver were very relieved to see Iain on his 'not so dashing' green charger!! On the Land Rover front, we did try to disguise this with the new front end ‘J’ parts that Iain had made, and brought along for a customer (Register member, Steve Taylor, new owner of TGC 321, a Planners van recently sold on by Mike Plummer) Still......

 We were also very lucky to have three Ice Cream vans on the stand this year - in so much as we managed to erect a magnificent Fish4 poster, showing Gary Sutton’s EVG 79, between two flagpoles held up by Tatton regular TMB 337 (owned by Granelli’s from new), and Tatton newcomer JSJ 902 owned by Bob Mitchell.
 
 The weekend as ever passed with the usual chatter of good friends who have just picked up from the time before, the evening was spent listening to the dulcet tones of Mel Wood's (Lancaster Vintage & Classic Spares) wind up gramaphone. Our bash was even raided at one point by the Imp Club youngsters who were very surprised to see that us old 'n's know how to have a good time.
 
 Well here's to Tatton Park 2002 - hope to see you there.......
 
 Keep on J’aying
 
 Barb Littlewood & Co

Vans on site over the weekend were:

949 BYY (Ray Kings)
572 CKC (Keith Barnes)
JSJ 902 (Bob Mitchell)
KDP 260 (Malcolm Gibbons)
NRM 284 (Cumberland Pencil Co.)
5003 NX (Harvey Pitcher)
8908 NX (Bob Strutt)
NXL 669 (Kevin Quine)
TMB 337 (Granelli’s)
224 TRE (Merv Whittingham)
8444 UA (Peter Smith)
UXV 500 (Geoff Bull)