Just a quick post really to bring you guys up to date with things..

We now have 75 places already reserved or booked with us for our 2020 event, which is incredible.

We have JaguarForums.com, JagChat.net, JEC (East/West Sussex), & the fantastic Jaguar Breakfast Club all onboard with us.
I am waiting on feedback from a number of potential sponsors, and in a few weeks time will be reconnecting with our current sponsors and confirming things with them.

We have two companies that depend on Jaguars for their business involved with us, and as well as a few enquiries on the go I have also contacted the police to see if they use Jaguars and may be interested in hosting a talk on the day.

I have been looking into extending our charity involvement, and will be following up with this in October.

As you know our event is not for profit - actually quite the reverse last year with our event losses having to be covered by donations from some incredible sponsors - so for us to be able to support the RNLI and potentially an additional charity yet to be confirmed, is fantastic :-).

We are currently hosting a competiton where you can win an incredible VIP weekend at the Hilton for two, with all ticket sales going to the RNLI, our free Christmas competition is coming up soon, and we have some great 'Days Out' coming up too for you..

A huge and massive thankyou goes out to everyone involved with our event - without you we could not have the incredible event we have - THANKYOU

 

Ok guys, it's Friday already! I can't believe how quickly the last week has gone.. so time to update everyone with how we are doing :-)

Things have been really busy with our event in the past few days:

We have signed up the incredidible P & K Thornton Restorations company - what they don't know about classic Jaguars you can fit on a postage stamp.. it is incredible to have them onboard.

I am in discussions with a company that specialises in alloy wheel repairs - something we all need - poss more me than some others :-)

We have been making great progress working with the Jaguar Breakfast Club

Our Facebook page and group are both very active, and growing.

Our first 'Day Out' event, a mini event is I believe fully subscribed, and we have more events to come.

Our competition for a VIP weekend at the Hilton is doing well, not just offering a winner an incredible weekend for two but also supporting the incredible RNLI

I am currently getting geared up for our Christmas competition - full details to come on that in a few weeks time.

On the flip side of things one potential sponsor I have been in discussions with for over a year has fallen by the way side, and discussions didn't complete successfully with another three companies so it has not been my most successful week, but nonetheless we are still doing well overall :-)

For those of you looking for the weekly stats.. here is where we are currently :-)

Our forum threads have received over 5,866 hits
Our Facebook page has 4946 friends
Our Facebook group (NEW) has grown to 621 members
Our Twitter account has been stable at 606 followers
Our Instagram account has grown to 425 followers
We have 77 Jaguars currently registered or reserved for the day
We have 15 sponsors confirmed spanning a wide range of services and products we all depend on
We have 5 trade stans booked so far
We now have three club/forum affiliations which is fantastic
And on the day we already have 4 unique class awards lined up for you.

 

Good news Guys - we have just completed discussions with a company that specialises in helping you to protect and care for your Jaguar engine! Full details to follow shortly :-)

 

Welcome to our 'JaguarForumsUK Great British Day Out for Jaguar Owners' 2020.

We have been running this event for seven years now, and this will be our ninth event for you guys, and the largest event ever, as we build up to our 2021 10th anniversary event.

Our Great Day Out is literally a great day out for everyone from petrolheads to families, and consists of a convoy/drive element, as well as our main event. The convoy/drive takes you through glorious Sussex & Surrey countryside, and the main event is at the largest wine estate in England, Denbies! You can meet the clubs & forums that will support you for the life of your Jaguar, specialists that cover almost every aspect of your Jaguar, can attend talks teaching you how to look after your Jaguar even better, enjoy show prices on must-haves, and win prizes and class awards plus meet other Jaguar owners from around the UK and Europe and get to check out Jaguars spanning over 80 years of production!

Our event is easy to register for, and you can even register via this page.. all the information on signing up can be found at JaguarForumsUK - The Great British Day Out for Jaguar Owners.

After registration you get:

FREE entry on the day
FREE entry in the Prize Draw on the day
Guaranteed inclusion in Award Judging (your Jaguar must be onsite for this)
Option to enter the FREE Christmas competition

If you need accomodation in order to attend, we have a unique attendee only deal, offering you great fixed price rooms, with guaranteed availability, just minutes from the start point, and if you have travelled some distance and are without your Jaguar we will team you up with a British Jaguar owner that is attending so you still get the full Jaguar experience with us.

In addition to all this our website at JaguarForumsUK - The Great British Day Out for Jaguar Owners carries all the event info, historical info, discounts, reviews, features and more right through the year!

Please find the current details of our 2020 event below - noting that it is subject to change as we go due to a raft of improvements and changes we are currently working on for you.

Sponsors:

ScratchShield - The bucket filter system
Leather Repair Company - Putting Life Back Into Leather
Robornes - The Surface Protection Experts for your Jaguar
BagWorld -Bespoke Bags & Luggage for your Jaguar
Harwoods Jaguar - Harwoods Jaguar Brighton
Classic Motor Monthly - The Best for Real Enthusiasts
Haynes Manuals - See Haynes, See How
JagChat.net - The World of Jaguar Chat
Simply Performance - Specialists in Secondhand Spares & Performance Parts for your Jaguar
Julian Ferraro Jaguar Specialists - Independent Jaguar Service & Repair On All Models
Autoglym - Passion for Perfection
Jaguar Parts 24/7 - Your One Stop Shop for Jaguar & Daimler Parts
Stoneman Funerals - A Helping Hand at a Time of Need
L & K Funeral Directors - Gone from our home, but not our hearts
P & K Thornton Restorations - The Pre 1974 Specialists
EngineGuard - An engine monitor that provides visual & audible warning of engine temperature to prevent overheating & damage

Trade Stands:

DesignCats - The Big Cat Workshop
Simply Performance - Specialists in Secondhand Spares & Performance Parts for your Jaguar
Julian Ferraro Jaguar Specialists - Independent Jaguar Service & Repair On All Models
Stoneman Funerals - A Helping Hand at a Time of Need
L & K Funeral Directors - Gone from our home, but not our hearts

Club/Forum Stands/Representation:

JaguarForums.com
JagChat.net
Jaguar Breakfast Club

Presentation Slots on the day:

Event Organiser - Presentation of awards, Numbers drawn for Prize Draw, and closing speech

Awards on the day:

The Scratchshield Best Turned Out Jaguar Shield
The L & K Funeral Directors : Best In Class XJ Saloon
The JagChat.net Best Classic XJ Trophy
The Jaguar Breakfast Club Spirit of Jaguar Award

Attendee Accomodation:

Holiday Inn Express London Gatwick Crawley, Haslett Avenue East,Crawley,West Sussex, RH10 1UA.

Official Event Photographer:

TBC


Press coverage:

TBC


Credits:

Mark Lambourne - Trophy Support
DesignCats - Layout & Marshalling

Latest Exclusive Discount Codes for You:

TBC


Itinerary (Subject to changes as we approach the day):

08:30 Event registration, Welcome Pack Distribution and Welcome Speech
09:15 Transfer of Jaguars to the Convoy/Drive start point
09:30 Start of Convoy/Drive element
10:15 Arrival at Denbies (please follow Marshals instructions for parking on site)
10:30 Group Photo Shoot with attending Jaguars as the backdrop
11:00 The JaguarForumsUK Most Knowledgable Jaguar Attendee of 2019 Quiz module
14:00 Snap Crackle & Pop - Best exhaust tone in both V6 & V8 categories
14:30 Clean Getaway - Cleanest/Best Maintained Engine Bay
15:00 Presentation of awards
15:30 Prize Draw winners announced for some incredible prizes for your Jaguar
15:45 Quiz results announced and photo shoot of the 2020 Most Knowledgeable Attendees
16:00 End of day speech and the end of our 2020 Jaguar day out

Our event is easy to sign up for, so why not get involved - we have a great day out for you!

 

Hi Guys,
I know I keep saying that one of these days I will actually have nothing on the go regarding our event.. but that has yet to happen :-)
In the meanwhile I just wanted to update you quickly with things... I am in final discussions with a vehicle tuning and styling company, further to a recommendation by an attendee, and we have another two companies I am currently in early discussions with too - if these come through we will be looking at nineteen event sponsors for this years event, with the majority happy to have an onsite presence and meet you - Our biggest event to-date! And I have more companies that are on the backburner currently too..
Our event is genuinely not-for-profit, everything we receive from event sponsors goes directly to you guys, and all the registrations go to our printing, website hosting, signage etc with a percentage going to the incredible RNLI. We are also still in talks with the Dorking Rotary Club too.
So, why not join us this May 24th 2020? We will have everything from cherished classic Jaguars, through to showroom models, customised Jags, plus of course every Jaguar in between (the only way I'll ever manage to get my S-Type into a show lol)
I am hoping to have over 80 years of Jaguar production, between 20 and 30 trade/club/forum stands, three or more club/forum areas for you to check out, the usual Talks by the Pro's and so much more, and don't forget it you register before Christmas you get to enter our free Christmas competition too - and a chance to win a great prize from Santa for your Jag :-)

 

The event Facebook group has a range of things going on currently.. here is something from there to get you back to thinking about Jaguars, even though it's a Monday :-)

Ok here's a little quiz question for you - unfortunately no prize other than knowing how good your Jaguar knowledge is :-)

In 1992 the Jaguar XJ220 was briefly the worlds fastest car - what was it's top speed?

a) 221 mph
b) 217 mph
c) 213 mph

This is one of the three pop quiz Jaguar questions in our facebook group today - answers appearing there mid-afternoon..

Of the three questions posed today I only got one right myself, and it is proving interesting to see what everyone else believes :-)

This will be a regular Monday feature now on the Facebook group.. there is always something on the go with our event, it is so much more than just a one day a year event :-)

 

Dis you guess the correct speed? It was 217mph... literally just shy of the 220mph that had been aimed for. The XJ220s claim to the fastest car in the world may well have been shortlived, but it was and remains an incredible, and iconic Jaguar.

 

Ok Guys, As you now know, Mondays are now Mini Quiz days, and Fridays are Statistical days for our event.. I am slowly building up a weekly menu for everyone involved with our event :-)

I thought I was on a roll with this, and it would be an idea to tweak our event website where we carry all the news, info, and updates for our event - four hours on, and I have tried nested menus, different colour schemes, and more and you know what I finally settled on as being an OK change? a Favicon for the site address lol and even that I am not completely settled on :-)

If anyone would like to have a go at it more successfully than me, has a background image, or colour scheme that might work - please, please get in touch before I lose what little hair I have left :-)

 

OK Guys, Literally hot off the press.... I am pleased to be able to announce that as a result of our discussions with Viezu - Remapping, Timing and Performance Specialists, they have just signed up with us for our 2020 event.

They will be bringing their event trailer onsite for us and are very much looking forward to meeting everyone on the day. Please join me in welcoming them to our event :-)

 

Hi Guys,

It's Friday, and not only is is Stat's day for our event, but so much has been going on this week..

Our event website has had a host of errors located and corrected which is great.

I have been in discussions with a number of companies this week, with completion of one incredible signup - VIEZU.

There has been a host of updated information from our existing sponsors.

Our Facebook group is becoming more and more active as time goes by, and our event Facebook page is still running at just under 5000 friends, even after a culling session.

I have started looking into the visibility issues everyone had at our last event, and have some solutions I will be looking to implement at our next event.

This event is without a doubt way more complicated than any event I have organised before, so I have (for the first time ever for me) set up a to-do list and just in the next three months I have a stackload to get through - I'm not sure that a to-do list is really something that encourages you.. lol.. it just makes the mountains actually look like mountains rather than just hills in the fog.

I will be in contact with all 21 companies we are now working with in the next couple of weeks to see if there is anything more I can do for them, and to see if the currently unconfirmed sponsors are happy to confirm for 2020.
Additionally I will be testing the water to see how many of them are happy to book one of our free trade plots on the day as this will allow us to start to formulate the layout we need. Oh,yes, Viezu will (currently) have one of the largest plots on the day as they will be bringing their event trailer and possibly a couple of demo vehicles for you to see.

Once I have this all updated I can start to make progress with our Christmas competition.

An attendee has suggested that we start up a gallery of attendee Jaguars that have signed up - I think thios could work well, and give everyone a fantastic view of what they can see on the day itself.. it is one of my 14 to-do items in the next few months - so keep an eye out for this feature :-)

If you haven't registered for our 2020 event yet, please please consider doing so as we have a fantastic Jaguar day out for you with a convoy, main event, prizes, awards, Talks by the Pro's, show prices, free diagnostic checks (to be confirmed), tuning being performed on site, and so so much more. Our event is the grassroots Jaguar event that feels like a small event, personal, friendly, everyone equal but offers you so much more than you would expect.

OK, that is roughly where we are with things overall, and here are the more specific stats that show you exactly where we are in key aspects:

Our forum threads have received an incredible 6,861 hits so far
Our event Facebook page has 4,959 friends
Our event Facebook group has 624 members
Our Twitter feed has 609 followers
Our Instagram feed is stable at 429 followers
We are now working with 22 incredible companies that either support Jaguars, or depend on them
Of those companies we already have 15 of them confirmed for 2020
We are affiliated with three incredible Jaguar clubs & forums
We have 6 stands booked so far
We have 4 incredible awards confirmed for you so far
We have two club allocations booked with 60 places reserved
We currently have 18 Jaguars signed up

Full vehicle stats will appear in our weekly stats update as we go, so please keep an eye on things over the weeks to come.

Meanwhile, an absolutely massive Thankyou to everyone involved with our event - without you we would not have the event we have!

 

Ok, it's been a busy weekend.. however (as always) I have more good news for you regarding our next event:

Leather Repair Company has just confirmed they will be with us on the day, and will be hosting one of their incredible 'Talks by the Pro's'

and

Bub Wedding Cars, who missed out ion the last event due to car issues have also confirmed they will be with us on the day.

Plus, due to quite a few people asking me, I am now hosting in mini quiz every Monday not just in the events Facebook group but on the forum threads as well :-) It is just for fun, and you will find three questions regarding Jaguar are posted mid morning every Monday, with the answers appearing mid afternoon (after my school run) - there are no prizes, but by the time you attend our next event you will hopefully know more trivia about Jaguar than you ever imagined knowing :-)

 

OK here is our Monday mini quiz for you - the answers are based on information available to me, and my decisions are final.

Seriously though, there are no prizes, and this is just for fun - but here are your questions for this week:

Which Jaguar features the longest dimensions?
a) 2013 XJSuperSport b) 2008 XJ8L c) 2003 S-TypeR

What year was the XKR175 sold, to commemorate the companies 75th anniversary?
a) 2007 b) 2012 c) 2011

The Jaguar Mark X was produced during which period?
a) 1937-1948 b) 1966-1970 c) 1961-1966

Answers will be posted mid afternoon (after the school run)

 

We have just received final confirmation of the rates, and facilities available to attendees for our 2020 event:

Holiday Inn Express London Gatwick Crawley, Haslett Avenue East,Crawley,West Sussex, RH10 1UA.
We have a block reservation in place for you. You just need to quote the group code: JAG to access it. The cost is £69 per room/night and that includes free wi-fi, free parking, and an Express Start Breakfast to set you up for the day. They are literally minutes away from the start point of the event. You can contact them by phone on +44(0)871 942 9032 or via the web at Holiday Inn Express, Crawley

A huge thankyou to Holiday Inn Express for their continued support of our event

 

Ok the answers to the mini quiz were:

The Jaguar with the longest dimensions of the three was the XJ8L
The year that the XKR175 wqas sold was 2011
The Mark X was produced from 1961-1966

If you got all three right, really well done and if you got two or less, don't worry we have more questions to come next week and you may well get 3 out of 3

 

Ok guys, I have the solution to an annual problem for you.. lol..

Trying to work out what Jaguars you are likely to see at our event.. as where words do describe things to one degree or another, nothing beats a picture (well, apart for a drive in the aformentioned Jaguar :-))

So we now have a gallery, showing the actual Jaguars that will be attending.. if you are registered for our next event and are happy for your Jaguar to appear in the gallery please email a picture to stephen.sheldon@jaguarforumsuk with some descriptor text and your dash sheet number and I will get you added in.

 

Hi Guys,

It's that time of the week again, and time for your Friday update.

There is so much to tell you about, we have had a very busy week with more going on than you may have known.

As you will know we had some issues with entry access at the main part of the event this year, so we have been working on ways to ease things and make your time with us smoother.

Anyone who has registered for our 2020 event will have already discovered our new registration system, and dash sheets/access passes - very much, a much improved system over our previous events.

Additionally we have been in talks with the Rotary Club regarding gaining some assistance with marshalling so we can get you guys into the event quickly, efficiently and to the best places for the day, in exchange for a plot on-site, and a percentage of our profits. We thought the talks had stalled, but they haven't and things are looking quite positive, so between the improved access pass system and more manpower on marshalling you shouldn't experience the queues we had at the last event.

Our event Facebook group has been going from strength to strength with over 30 people joining it in just the last week. Our Facebook group has not one but two prize draws running currently - one that involves a donation for the RNLI, and the other is completely free to enter. We also have a competition for the best round logo for our event that anyone can produce running there too.

Our event website has undergone some huge changes with more graphics, a better layout, and now with a Feedback page so you can tell us how we are doing, plus a gallery of the Jaguars that are signed up for the 2020 event - in previous years you have had to read through a list, and visualise what Jaguars you will likely get to see on the day, now you can actually see what you are going to meet on the day, before the day.. a huge improvement on our old system.

We have managed to retain a huge percentage of our sponsors from 2019, & for 2020 and have added some new sponsors which means you get ECU remaps and tuning performed on site on the day itself, plus we may be offering a free Diagnostics clinic on the day too.

I will be making contact with our sponsors over the next two weeks, and we will hopefully see the number of trade, and club stands increasing as I make contact. Additionally I am waiting to hear from four Jaguar clubs who are considering stands and allocations with us on the day.

We have managed to get the attendee accomodation deal in place earlier than usual for our next event, and places there are already filling up - we have managed to get a deal of £69 per room/night including free WiFi, free parking, and Express Start Breakfast. This is a significant saving on the usual costs, and well worth taking advantage of if you are travelling some distance.

As you know, our event is not-for-profit and supports the RNLI via our event Patron Frank Woodford MBE, everything we get from our event sponsors goes to attendees, and registrations go to cover our website hosting, printing, infrastructure such as signage and of course the RNLI and (we hope) the Rotary Club - making us a great event to get involved with..

Our event is an odd one if I don't say so myself as we have mini days out through the year now, quizes every Monday (yep just like going down the pub for a quiz but Jaguar orientated and in the comfort of your browser :-)), competitions, draws, general info and chat so despite being an annual event with no membership we actually have something on the go right through the year :-)

Ok, as I said it has been a busy week for our event, sorry if it has lulled you to sleep.. :-)

Here are the latest stats on how we are doing, so you can see in figures:

Our forum threads have receieved an incredible 7,619 hits
Our event Facebook page has just shy of 5,000 friends
Our event Facebook Group now has 657 members
Our event Instagram feed has 439 followers
Our event Twitter feed has an incredible 612 followers
We have 18 incredible sponsors confirmed
8 Trade stands have been booked so far
3 Clubs stands/allocations have been confirmed so far
We have 5 class awards confirmed so far that you could win on the day

Have an incredible Jaguar weekend whereever you may be, on us :-)

 

OK Guys, It's a Monday, and we need to find a way to get through the day sooooo here's one of your three mini quiz questions for the day - answers will appear online after the school run...



In 1950 Jaguar started to cooperate with the Daimler Motor Company. In what year did the two companies merge?

a) 1960 b) 1965 c) 1968



The Jaguar Mark IV model came with engine sizes in the range of...

a) 1.0-2.5 litres b) 2.0-4.0 litres c) 1.5-3.5 litres



The Swallow Sidecar Company changed it's name to S.S.Cars Limited in

a) 1924 b) 1925 c) 1926

 

Ok guys, I have tio admit to an error on the third question - in fact a lot was going on around that period and I missed the correct date, however one of the dates there is genuinely a date where one part of the changes did actually happen :-)

Jaguar and Daimler merged in 1960
The Jaguar Mark IV came with engine capacities between 1.5 & 3.5 litres
The Swallow SideCar Company - the date I was looking for was 1926

 

Just a quick post to let you know that we now have a pdf version of our A5 handouts on the event website available for you to download and print yourself (via the Documents tab), and I also have some small quantities of preprinted ones available that just need cutting, should you want any posted out to you.

Additionally I am almost half way through following up with our current and potential event sponsors - we genuinely have a big event ahead of us.. we already have more people booked with our attendee accomodation supplier than ever before at this time of year, more people signed up directly with the event itself, and club allocations already booked, or info requested on them. We have trade stands ranging from my small table and awards right through to national companies, and even an international company who will be there with their event trailer, demo vehicles and able to do work onsite.

Also, don't forget if you register for our event before the end of November you can also enter our free Christmas competition, and we are already running two prize draws for a VIP weekend at The Hilton, and an Afternoon Tea at The Hilton, plus we now have small intimate days out right through the year with small days out of maybe ten Jaguars.

Add to all this a growing list of clubs and forums you can meet onsite on the day and you have where we are currently :-)

I currently, and quite literally, have no free time any more lol.. *but* we do have the biggest and greatest Great Day Out for Jaguar Owners that we have ever managed :-)

Please consider registering for the event, and remember if you do so before the end of November you can enter the Christmas competition too, and just so you know we are not only not-for-profit, but ALSO support the RNLI currently, and are in talks with the Rotary Club too :-) meaning not only do you have a great day out, but you know we are grassroots, not commercial in any way and you are helping charities as well whilst you have a great Jaguar day out :-)

 

Steve,

I'm not surprised. I've just had another look at the event website and it's a staggering amount of work and effort which just continues to build year on year.

Graham