Kames Car Show 2020 – Sunday 29th August 2020

As 2020 dawned we were all probably looking forward to bright spring/summer days and checking the Figaro Owners Club ‘Events’ page on the website to plan our Figaro outings for the year ahead.

Then…. COVID-19…and lockdown!

Obviously, the loss of Rallies, Car Shows and Figaro drive-outs are of little consequence when it comes to public health and it was clear that most, if not all, our events would, rightly, be cancelled, and that proved to be the case.

As lockdown was gradually lifted, the Scottish Government’s guidance on outdoor gatherings was issued, and indicated a date in August (24th) from where, with appropriate mitigations in place, outdoor events would be permitted. So, the East Ayrshire Car Club planned a ‘COVID Safe’ event for their re-arranged show on Saturday 29th August. Once details were submitted the local Council licensed the event and Police Scotland also gave their approval.

Ken & Sandra Graham

Although it was a fairly easy decision for me to plan to attend, as we all know, the lifting of lockdown has presented us all with challenges – ‘How safe will I feel?’, ‘What if exhibitors/public ignore the guidance?’ All these questions were going through my head, and I’m sure the heads of all those thinking of coming along. So, it was with a little trepidation that we set off (an early start at 7.30am) to get set up and ready for the public arriving at 10am. We met a few hundred yards from the venue so all six Figaros (and my brother as an interloper with his Aston Martin!) could arrive together and be parked beside each other.

On arrival we were reassured by marshals wearing PPE, the issuing of contact cards for ‘Test & Protect’ (Scotland’s version of Track & Trace), a one-way system on site, socially distanced queuing at toilets and catering vans and loads of hand sanitiser across the site.

Whilst it was a little different for me, with none of my usual enthusiastic ‘Would you like to sit in my Figaro?’ to anyone showing enthusiasm for obvious reasons, it did seem about as ‘normal’ as it could be in the circumstances. The local Environmental Health team and the Police visited and pronounced themselves happy with the way things were set up and, as you can see from the photographs, we had our ‘nearly normal’ Figgy owners’ get together!

If the event did one thing (in addition to the basic fact of just having the event), it reassured owners that these events, can, if planned well, go ahead successfully and we all felt safe as it was held outdoors with all the above mitigations in place.

Of course, the proof of its success will be if we don’t get a call from contact tracers advising of any outbreak issues connected to the event – it will be a matter of ‘fingers crossed’ in that regard for a week or so!

My thanks go to the organisers for making the effort to plan the event and to all our Club members, Anne Wither & Dan Fallon, Heather and Reid Martin, Lee and Craig Smith, Bob and Liz Hughes, Julie Brennan, and, of course, my wife Sandra, for supporting the Club and making the effort to come along.

I’m now looking forward to the Classic Car Drive-In Weekend at Bicester Heritage from 18th to 20th September with, I think, just a little less, trepidation!!

Ken Graham
Figaro Owners Club – Scotland Chapter Coordinator

Published on 24th September 2020

Kames Car Show 2020 – Sunday 29th August 2020

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