The 1st MG CarFest organised by WH Brand, the MG dealership took place last weekend, and nearly 200 cars attended.

Almost 200 automotive aficionados gathered at the WH Brand MG dealership in Lincolnshire last weekend (18 September), to showcase their prized vehicles from the past and present.

The event, which was organised to raise money for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance, saw a whole host of MG cars displayed – from classics and customs, to kit builds and brand new models.

In addition to hosting the exhibition, the dealership organised a number of stalls, stands and games, while visitors were also able to test drive MG’s latest models – the all-new MG GS SUV and MG3 supermini. A collection for the Air Ambulance was taken throughout the day, raising money for a hugely worthwhile cause.

Adam Brand, sales manager at WH Brand, commented: “We were delighted to welcome so many MG fans to the dealership last weekend for our enthusiast event. It was a brilliant day that showcased pristine examples of British engineering through the ages.

“We’d like to thank the individuals and car clubs from across the region who helped make the day run so smoothly and hope to build on the its success next year with an even bigger and better event.”

Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing at MG Motor UK, added: “WH Brand’s event was an excellent initiative – bringing together the local community and raising money for a great charity alongside. With MGs, both old and new, on display throughout the day, the event was certainly a must see for enthusiasts!”

For more information about the MG model range, or to find your local dealer, visit www.mg.co.uk. For more information about WH Brand, visit www.whbrand.co.uk.

Car Fest announces the bands and activities that will take place at this years twin events.

• Cars, music and much more at CarFest North and CarFest South
• Family fun for kids of all ages
• Top music line-up with Will Young, Seasick Steve, Texas, Primal Scream, Paloma Faith, Joss Stone and Take That
• Other attractions include the Megaland, Goalfest, the CarFest beach, stunts and air displays
• Just a few tickets left for Friday, 31 July at CarFest North
• CarFest South: all three days sold out
• CarFest North: Saturday and Sunday sold out
• Inspired and hosted by BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show host Chris Evans, CarFest has raised £3.5m for BBC Children in Need to date 

Inspired by music loving petrolhead Radio 2 presenter Chris Evans himself, it should come as little surprise that his CarFest weekends are crammed with top line bands and plenty of on-track, tyre smoking, motoring action.

But the BBC Radio 2 broadcaster is also a family man… and he has ensured that the focus of both CarFest North (Oulton Park, Cheshire, 31 July-2 August) and CarFest South (Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire, 28-30 August) is fun for all the family. Indeed both venues will be bursting at the seams with awesome activities and eye-catching entertainment to amuse and inspire all ages.

For example, children can get behind the wheel at the Gocompare.com Kids’ Driving School, where they can drive go-karts, jeeps and kiddie quads. Footie, rugby, hockey and netball fans can hone their goal scoring skills in Goalfest supported by Mark Harrod ltd. or learn a host of new skills at Summer Camp… everything from magic tricks to basket weaving, and more.

Mum, Dad and the kids can head to the beach, with support from Wicks, tonnes of sand has been brought to both venues to create the perfect chill out area with deck chairs and extreme sandcastle building competitions. Don’t forget your sun cream.

Festival goers can turn back the clock at the Car Clubs & Vintage Village area and marvel at the daredevil antics of Stunt School; enjoy local talent performing acoustically on the Wigwam stage; and let the whole family take part in the Great Festival Dash supported by Garmin.  If their feet aren’t too sore after that, they can learn how to walk on hot coals under the watchful eye of experts from UK Firewalk.

There’s a Big Top, Showground, air displays and even a taste-off with Tom Kerridge and Paul Hollywood who want to know whether those at CarFest North prefer sausage rolls or Scotch eggs.

And, of course, there are the cars and the music. Among the top bands performing at both events are the Boomtown Rats, Seasick Steve, Scouting for Girls, Level 42, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Texas, Midge Ure and The Feeling.

Headlining at CarFest North will be Primal Scream (Friday 31 July), Joss Stone plus Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott of Beautiful South fame (Saturday, 1 August) and Will Young (Sunday, 2 August) while topping the bill at CarFest South will be Jools Holland (Friday, 28 August), Paloma Faith (Saturday, 29 August) and Take That (Sunday 30 August).

And the mouth-watering selection of cars due to perform on track include Formula 1 cars, touring cars, rally cars, super cars, landmark classics, dragsters and custom cars. At Oulton Park, strong man Simon Plant will attempt to pull no fewer than 14 Ford Fiestas around part of the track, while among the star cars will be the ‘Dirty Dozen’ – Ferraris, Astons, Mercs and Jags from Chris Evans’ own collection.

CarFest also offers the finest festival food to ensure that all fans, whether they are coming for just a day or staying for the whole weekend and camping on site, will feast on more than just cars.

Best of all, these epic family festivals are in a good cause. With a minimum of 25 per cent of all ticket revenues going directly to the charity, CarFest – now in its fourth year – has already donated more than £3.5 million to BBC Children in Need – a figure which will grow significantly when this year’s donations are included.

There are still a few day tickets left for Friday (31 July) at CarFest North, at £60 for an adult and £11 for those aged 6-16. But hurry because they are going fast.

Honda to pull out all the stops to support the CarFest 2015 events in Cheshire and Hampshire.

• Cars, stars and interactive treats galore from Honda at CarFest
• Racing fans challenged to prove they can be ‘King of the Hell’
• Activities for all ages, from five-year-olds to the young-at-heart

Honda (UK) is pulling out all the stops at Chris Evans’ two charity-focused CarFest events this summer, bringing along stars and cars, two-wheeled thrills and a range of crowd-pleasing entertainment and displays.

CarFest is the brainchild of popular Radio 2 presenter and new Top Gear host Evans, raising vital funds for BBC Children In Need via a family-oriented, high-octane blend of fast and exotic cars, celebrity cameos and live music from some of the hottest acts around.

Honda played a leading role last year and will return in 2015 to both CarFest North at Oulton Park in Cheshire (31 July – 2 August) and CarFest South at ex-Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter’s Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire (28-30 August).

A full Honda stand will showcase the company’s refreshed and exciting product range, including the Civic Type R, Civic Sport, Civic Tourer, HR-V, CR-V, Jazz and – straight from the brand’s award-winning Goodwood Festival of Speed stand – the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 in a box, as driven by F1 World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Highlighting Honda’s expertise on two wheels as well as four, ten motorcycles will be on display, whilst the ‘King of the Hell’ Xbox roadshow roars into town, offering festival-goers the chance to win a brand new Civic Type R for a year by setting the fastest time around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the 12.9-mile Nordschleife is regarded as the most challenging and daunting circuit in the world, with each lap comprising no fewer than 154 corners, large bumps, cambers and surface changes.

The British-built Civic Type R – Honda’s ‘Race Car for the Road’ and the most extreme and high-performing model ever to wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge – set a new front-wheel-drive lap record there last year, and in celebration of its arrival in UK dealerships, fans are invited to test their mettle by getting as close as possible to that impressive benchmark.

Honda Yuasa Racing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal – currently sitting first and third in the title standings, with Honda comfortably atop the manufacturers’ table – will perform high-speed demonstration runs behind the wheel of both the BTCC race car and road-going Civic Type R at CarFest North, before returning to the track in the Civic Type R at CarFest South.

Honda’s latest Robot mower – Miimo – will be a working display in the Honda activity centre and will inspire a unique children’s drawing activity, whilst many of last summer’s favourites make a welcome return.

My First Licence is a mini-motorbike taster session that introduces 5-to-11-year-old non-riders to the exciting world of motorcycling on restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes in a safe, controlled and fully supervised environment, complete with helmets and kneepads and culminating in the presentation of their own special licence.

The ATV Experience on Honda’s TRX420 continues the fun yet educational theme, teaching older teens the inside line on throttle control, slaloming, overcoming obstacles and balance. The ride-on lawnmowers for 16-year-olds and above, meanwhile, generated hilarious head-to-head racing last year around a timed garden course, where lane control and garbage-grabbing were the orders of the day.

Last but by no means least, the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’ experience will allow those brave enough to simulate Superbike-style knee-down riding, replicating the feeling of being at full power whilst almost horizontal to the ground!

Although most tickets have now sold out, there is still availability for Friday attendance at CarFest North.