The TR Register has announced that TS2, the club's promotional vehicle and the first right hand drive production TR2 built, will undertake a Round Britain Relay Run aiming to visit every one of the 53 local groups of the TR Register Car Club. This is an extension of the original regional tour proposed for 2020 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the TR Register which was sadly cancelled due to the global pandemic.

Stephen Hall is coordinating this initiative and ahead of the official announcement of the fixtures, dates, shows and route for the tour in TR Action's December issue, Stephen explains his plans below;

I am not sure about you, personally I have heard enough bad news over the last six months. The Global Pandemic has dominated our news channels and rightly so, it is affecting our lives in many, different ways!

It is most likely not escaped your notice that 2020 is the 50^thanniversary year of the TR Register and whilst the events at the start of the year went ahead and were outstanding, most others had to be cancelled, for obvious reasons.

With that in mind and building on the 2007 event where TS2 toured the UK in the hands of almost every single group through the Country, drum roll please……the Management Team have initiated a similar tour for TS2 in 2021 as a belated birthday present to our members. The four Trustees of TS2, Keith Read who so generously donated TS2 to the Register, Ian Evans an Honorary Vice President, Phil Tucker long standing member for over 40 years and current Chairman Allan Westbury have all given their blessing for TS2 to tour the UK. Phil sprang into action with his usual enthusiasm and general all round helpfulness and has started to develop the handover documentation for each group and the Caretaker of TS2, Julian Taylor is already making plans to ensure TS2 is fully serviced and ready to go on next year’s exciting tour. Jo at HQ will collate each groups detail to ensure that we have appropriate handover contacts. I am convinced with this level of expertise and your help we will have a major success on our hands for next year.

It is highly possible that the current pandemic will still be with us throughout next year, however we believe with social distancing and following the rules which would of course include sanitation of TS2 between groups we are very hopeful that we can pull this off.

So, what should you do? Well, please refer to the dates of TS2 trip then start planning what your group will do to celebrate the TR Register’s golden anniversary. That is the why, now the what, we would like you to use as much imagination as possible and get the TR Register, TS2 and of course your own group promoted in as imaginative way as possible. It is a brilliant opportunity to swell your ranks and “keep the spark alive”. Remember, our members have had many events cancelled and this is an opportunity to lift everyone’s spirits for next year, yes the virus will most likely still be around, we think we can develop a strategy to allow this event to proceed.

Some ideas from 2007 trip

Cumbria Group headed up by John Morrison recently sent me the book they constructed to celebrate the previous trip, beautiful pictures, with OKV 777 next to 773 EWO and with a lovely story of a young lady celebrating her 80^thbirthday in TS2 as her departed husband previously owned a TR2. There was tree planting in the National Forest, organised by Ian Evans, perhaps you might want to revisit “our trees”? Nice picture in the “Bournemouth Daily Echo”, which is apparently the daily newspaper of the year, London, and South no less, of outgoing Chairman Ian Evans. Geoff Keeble took TS2 to the local aerodrome and had a brilliant picture and write up in the Surry Mirror. The Essex Group with Stephen Tant took TS2 to the White Horse Pub and made it into the paper with picture and story. Ian Freeman from East Saxon wrote a rather nice thank you letter detailing everything they did with TS2 and the newspaper articles in the Witham & Braintree Times and Colchester Gazette along with some brilliant pictures. They even managed some cheeky free advertising for a local haulage Company – James Kemball! Irene Tydeman from Abbott & Stour managed to get an article in the Bury Free Press.

Of course, the Coventry Group took TS2 to the Coventry Transport Museum and pictures by the Standard Triumph sign organised by Margaret Gleed and great article in The Telegraph. White Rose Group managed a mention in The Advertiser with Peter Moffat’s head under the bonnet, story to be told? East Riding Group with Ian Landen took TS2 to the Yorkshire Thoroughbred Car Club Show after a quick wash! Alan Gibb took TS2 to Grampian show in Aberdeen and apparently it was raining, well it is Aberdeen, what were you expecting! Also, he reports TS2 was the star of the show at Glamis Rally. Clyde Valley collected TS2 from Glamis and drove to Pitlochry – the gate way to the highlands. John Scarr of Wharfedale managed to get TS2 into the Sunderland Echo with picture and great story. Shropshire managed a nice colour picture in the Shropshire Star which apparently cost 35p back in 2007!

The previous trip was 2007, it will be 2021, so we do not just need articles in the local paper, we also need mentions in social media – ask a teenager they will know what we are talking about.

There are boring bits too, we will need handover sheets completed, we will ensure you have those. We need you to plan what you will do with TS2 and we would love to hear about that so please send details to Jo. Also, please liaise with the club that you will collect TS2 from to agree where and when and we know you will not want to hand TS2 to the next group, sadly you need to, so please liaise with the group you will handover to – it is only fair. And please send us details of handover points and who the custodian will be whilst it is in your group’s possession. Please work together, members, Group Leaders and Area Directors to make this a memorable event.

We understand that you might not be able to get TS2 exactly when you wanted it, sorry about that and we know you would have liked it for longer, well when you see the routing you will hopefully understand why that was not possible.

Happy planning for this exciting event, please ask if you have got any questions.

Click here to read the open letter to TR Register Local Group Leaders