Event
84 July 2019 MiniWorld
Words: Stephen Davy-Osborne and Karen Drury. Photos: Stephen Davy-Osborne, Kay Drury and Karen Drury.
London to Brighton Mini Run
The Woodhams from Milton
Keynes get stuck into polishing.O
ver 2000 Minis descended
on Crystal Palace in
London, on Sunday 19
May, for the 34th annual
London to Brighton Mini Run.
Organised by London and Surrey
Mini Owners Club, the world-famous
event returned this year to celebrate
the 60th anniversary of Mini in style.
The club opened up the gates
of Crystal Palace Park, in South
London, on the Saturday afternoon
as Minis from across Europe began
to arrive to enjoy a chilled-outevening in the park before the run
got underway on Sunday morning.
With sunrise on Sunday came the
arrival of more Minis as LSMOC and
its army of willing volunteers began
checking people in and distributing
run packs, plaques and this year’s
T-shirt which was designed by
Xantha-Iris Vorst from Holland.
Heading up the run south to
Brighton, through Croydon, was
celebrity mechanic and TV presenter,
Edd China, whose A-series sofa drew
a big crowd. With the Show andShine entrants setting o fi rst, it took
almost two hours for all 2100 Minis to
leave the park and be on their way.
As the show and shine competitors,
including MiniWorld’s Subby the Clubby,
got to the A23 spitting rain turned
to heavy showers so there was some
frantic cleaning going on as soon as
the tyres of the competing Minis hit the
tarmac of Madeira Drive in Brighton.
Rain threatened on and o all day
but, thankfully, it was light enough to
allow everyone to enjoy the event.
Minis continued to arrive in BrightonMadeira Drive, on Brighton's seafront,
comes to life with Minis, their owners
and eager onlookers every May.