For those of you who are not members of The Routemaster Association you may not be aware that the organisers of BBC Children in Need CarFast North and CarFest South events are looking for vintage bus owners to attend these events.

They are offering owners 4 FREE Weekend Tickets per bus, so you can have a free day out with the whole family! Both events are now fully sold out to the general public so ticket allocation is limited and will be issued on a first come first served basis.

The dates this year are: CarFest North: 31st July – 2nd August at Oulton Park, Cheshire and CarFest South: 28th – 30th August at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire.

Please let me know ASAP if you would like to attend with your bus?

You can attend for one day, two days or the whole 3 days plus on-site camping is available at £248:00 for the weekend. To find out more about CarFest you can log onto their website http://www.carfest.org

Drop me an email or give me a call if you would like more info: events@routemaster.org.uk or 07881 583561.

Many thanks

David Lee
Events Officer
Routemaster Association

My bus number (if any): RM's 765, 548 and 1783

Let me get this straight. The organisers are looking for the extra attraction of some vintage buses to display on site. The event is in aid of an immensely popular charity the aims of which no one can argue about.

However in return for coming along with another exhibit, even allowing for the programme of supporting appearances and 4 complimentary entrance tickets, asking £248 to provide space to pitch a tent and provide toilet and (shower) facilities is a bit rich.

Or was this a misprint meant to read £24.80 per night?

No not a typo Roy the camping cost in my original post was correct.

This fee ONLY applies if the owner wanted to camp on-site. Last year most owners who attended made it a day trip.

Personally, Roy I think this is a great day out with many attractions for the whole family to enjoy including a pop concert in the evening. I went last year and my kids had a ball, I cannot get them to bus rallies as they are not interested in buses and as you know most bus events are only good days out if you are a bus enthusiast.

Furthermore, CarFest is an ideal event to show off our vehicles to a wider audience, which could attract more interest in our hobby, so we should embrace it! I much prefer attending this kind of event and talking to people who have a genuine interest in my bus, rather than your typical rivet counter who attends bus rallies.

I'm not a camper so I don't know if the camping cost for the weekend is expensive, if it is then I am sure there are cheaper campsites in the local area.

These are my personal views and not necessarily those of the RMOOA.

David.

Free overnight camping if you bring a vehicle to Peterborough bus rally! No admission charge and free tea, coffee and lemonade all day.

I doubt if the charity gets half the money spent at Carfest on the day. Better to donate to charity by bank transfer and gift aid it. That way they may get 25% more than you donate and there is no shrinkage.

My personal views on giving to charity, not necessarily those of anybody else.

My bus number (if any): RMs 238, 471 and 2213, GS17