Sunday, 2nd August, saw Derbyshire Dales members take a tidy line‑up of TRs to the inaugural Ashbourne Classic Car Festival, supporting the event organised by Ashbourne Classic Enthusiasts (ACE) in and around the Market Place. The TRs made a good splash of colour among a wide mix of classics, and our Derbyshire Dales sail banners helped mark out a clear TR Register presence in the town centre.

From mid‑morning the Market Place and surrounding streets began to fill with everything from British sports cars to hefty Americana, all framed by bunting, market stalls and a steady stream of curious visitors. Our cars were parked as part of one of four display areas spread across the town centre, which gave the whole event a relaxed “rolling museum” feel as people wandered from square to square.

With our banner flying above the cars, people quickly homed in on the TRs for a closer look. Bonnet‑up chats soon developed, with plenty of interest in how the cars are used, maintained and restored, and a fair number of “I had one of these years ago” stories. It also gave our own members time to catch up and have a proper look at the other vehicles on show.

ACE had clearly done their homework, with marshalling, signage and public information all well organised, and support from local businesses and the Longcliffe Community Fund helping to anchor the event firmly in the town’s calendar. For a first‑time show in this format it felt impressively polished.

ACE are keen to build on the success of this first festival and are already talking about running it again. On this showing, it is an event that Derbyshire Dales would be very happy to support in future, and we will look to include it in our plans if it becomes a regular fixture.