An epic journey around the British Isles to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Morris Minor Owners Club will include a trip to the Isle of Man.
To mark the anniversary, the club has arranged for a standard specification 1962 Morris Minor four door saloon to travel from John O’Groats to Land’s End. However, instead of using the most direct route it will criss-cross Britain in an attempt to visit every branch of the MMOC and several locations with links to the history of the car and the club.
It is expected the journey of more than 3,000 miles will take up to five weeks, and at each of the 75 planned stops events will be held to raise money for charity.
The Isle of Man branch is included on the itinerary, and on 4th September the car and driver Bruce Kelsey will spend a day here. The Steam Packet Company has assisted with the cost of travel.
Bruce explained: ‘The MMOC was founded in 1976 to promote the preservation and continued use of post-war Morris Minors and has grown to become one of the highest profile classic car clubs in the UK, with more than 8,000 members.
‘This celebration trip, marking the Ruby Anniversary by visiting every branch of the club and some places which are significant both to the history of the car and the development of the club over the past 40 years, is one of our most ambitious projects.
‘We’re very pleased to be able to include a visit to the Isle of Man in the itinerary, so we can celebrate with club members there, and are grateful to the Steam Packet Company for assisting with the cost of travel to and from the Island. We’re also very grateful to B&Q which is allowing the local MMOC to host an event in its car park on Cooil Road to welcome the car to the Isle of Man.’
As part of the marathon, the classic Morris will also be stopping off at all nine residential hospices operated by Marie Curie, a charity the club has supported in the past. Money raised during events on the journey, as well as other activities planned for this year, will be donated to the charity.
As the Isle of Man doesn’t have a Marie Curie hospice, the local club is considering a visit to Hospice Isle of Man with any money raised during events while the car is in the Island being split between Hospice Isle of Man and Marie Curie.
Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward said: ‘This is a wonderful way to celebrate 40 years of the Morris Minor Owners Club, and I’m delighted we have been able to assist in ensuring the Isle of Man branch is part of the celebrations. We look forward to welcoming Bruce on board and wish him the best of luck on this marathon journey.’
