September 2025 | Issue 782 | Page(s) 3 | Gaynor Cauter
With a particularly good National Weekend behind us, the big news now is that we have a date and a venue for next year’s event and it’s going to be a big one because we will be celebrating the JDC’s 70th anniversary at the home of British motorsport – Brooklands. Many of you will remember the amazing 1500-car turnout we had for our Swallow-Jaguar centenary a few years ago and, hopefully, this will be an event to match it. We already have a team in place and planning has begun, so keep an eye on your magazine for full details, coming soon.
I can’t move on to my next topic without saying how brilliantly you all supported this year’s National Weekend at Whittlebury Park. We had just short of 130 people sit down to dinner and on the Sunday we had a spectacular display of XJSs to mark the model’s 50th birthday, helped in no small part by the amazing volunteers from JDHT, who gave up their Sunday to bring no fewer than six cars, including the spectacular Group 44 XJS. Sincere thanks to them, as ever, for their support. The main report will be in the October magazine, but Bryan Mander has a few words to say in his Vice-Chairman’s report in Club News, not least the fact that thanks to your generosity, we raised a massive £640 for Headway, the brain injury charity we are supporting this year in honour of our Chairman, Roger Kemp.
By the time you read this, I will have (hopefully) made it to Germany and back in the X350 and that will be thanks to our longsuffering magazine designer, James, and our terrific contributors, all of whom pull out the stops every year to get the mag copy in early so that I can sit by the Rhine for four days, sipping (read slurping by Day Four) some fine Rieslings. And in case you think driving a Jaguar and drinking wine is incompatible, you’d be right – having acquitted itself on the Autobahn, the poor old XJ is then relegated to the hotel car park until it’s time to go home.
National Weekend may have come and gone, but the concours is still very much alive and the five finalists for Champion of Champions will be vying for the top prize in the JDHT Collections Centre on Sunday 21 September when the Trust holds its annual Jaguars at Gaydon. On 14 September, the Sunday prior to Champion of Champions, we will be at Warwick Castle to support the XJS Club’s 50th anniversary celebrations and, on Sunday 19 October, we are back at Stoneleigh for Spares Day. And it’s no ordinary Spares Day because the Jaguar Breakfast Club will be attending from 9:00am when the Parks Café will be open for the traditional JBC/JDC fare – bacon butties. There’s no need to book – just bring a Jaguar or a Daimler and come along.
On the Area front, there’s more good news following Sebastian Vidal’s appointment as rep for Area 106 Republic of Ireland. Jamie Henderson, our Area 8 Somerset and Dorset rep, has found a venue for his monthly meets as he works to revive this West Country group. If you live in or around Somerset or Dorset, go along to The Virginia Ash, Sherborne Road, Henstridge, Somerset BA8 0PL on the last Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm – Jamie would love to see you!
And finally, I can’t sign off without wishing our own John Watkinson and his partner Liza very best wishes having finally tied the knot after 25 years together. Steve Hawke and I were lucky enough to be invited to the wedding and took a lovely photo of our resident guru and his bride, so turn to Club News for more. Gaynor
