Bad weather leaves 25th Trim Rally a washout

Sunday's heavy rain meant that crowds attending the annual Trim Vintage and Veteran Car Rally were well down on other years but all events went ahead despite the poor weather conditions. Organisers said they are grateful to those who braved the wet weather to come along and support the event. They took in enough money to cover the costs of holding the event and anything extra will be given to charity. On a good day, the rally would expect to attract up to 1,000 cars and another 4,000 visitors to the Porchfields but the disappointing weather saw almost 400 cars and crowds down by more than half. PRO Anthony Conlon said the 25th vintage and veteran car rally had been "washed out of it" but that they were very grateful to the people who did show up. "If it was not for their effort, the event could have been a disaster," he added. Everything went ahead, including the helicopter rides and music by Don Baker, Gerry Tully and other musicians. Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey also attended. "The weather was very disappointing. This year, there was no football match clashing and it was looking good if the weather had stayed good. We did a lot of advertising and we had a very good show. We will have enough money to pay everyone and any money left over will be given to charity, though it won't be the same amount as other years," said Mr Conlon. This is the second year in a row that the Trim show has been hampered by poor weather. Last year, the rain held off until 3pm but, this year, the day was a complete washout with frequent heavy rain showers. Mr Conlon said that better technology for predicting the weather forecast was needed - if the organisers had known how bad it would be in advance, they would have cancelled. "We wish we had better technology to give a more definitive forecast in advance. We were expecting showers and we could cope with that, but the deluge of rain really hampered the day," he said. The prizewinners at the 25th Trim Vintage and Veteran Show were: John O'Neill, Ford Model T (1911-1920 category); John Brady, Rathmolyon, Ford Model T (1921-1930 category); Amanda Nulty, MK2 Toyota Starlet; Colm McDonnell, Triumph GT6 MK1; Ricky Knowles, Opel Kadett C Coupe, also best motorcycle, a 1997 Honda 400; Raymond Lynch, Fordstown, Austin Westminster (1951-1960 category); Joe Geoghegan, Triumph Herald; Michael Beale, BMW Altina (1971-1980), and Noel McGahey, Ford Escort Mexico 1600 GT. The Norman Pratt Shield was presented to Mr Martin for his EDA Mini Turbo and the Mick Harte Cup for the best Wolseley was presented to Nuala Harte. The Eddie Thornton Cup for the best VW Beetle was won by Fergus Lennon, Kildare, for his 1302 VW Beetle. The prize for best club stand went to Gerry Rowley, Kinnegad, representing the Ford RS Owners Club of Ireland. The prize for best tractor went to Oliver O'Brien for his Ferguson 20 and the Best Fire Engine prize went to Trim Fire Brigade and Meath County Council which had a display on the day. The award for best commerical vehicle went to Felix Elmore for his 1986 Ford Mk2 Transit van. As it was the 25th anniversary of the show, a commemorative keyring designed by Mullingar Pewter was presented to all participants. Anyone interested in purchasing one of the keyrings can contact a member of the committee. Trim Vintage and Veteran Rally was founded by the late Norman Pratt in 1985 and initially took place in a small yard in Loman Street with just 23 cars. Mr Pratt was determined to expand the show and approached the Roundtree family, who kindly gave the group the use of the Porchfields. The biggest beneficiary of the very substantial sums of money raised over the years for charity from the annual show has been Trim Meals-on-Wheels.