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Classic Car Wheeze

The Preparatory School's recent Classic Car Wheeze kicked off Clifton's 150th Celebrations in style, on a glorious bright day the Close was the venue for this amazing family day out.

Over 3,500 people joined in the fun with an array of attractions including stalls selling everything from vintage clothes to delicious treats from the Mall Deli. The Pre's fete featured crowd favourites such as a bouncy castle, a set of stocks to 'soak the teacher' and popcorn and candy floss machines. 150 cars were parked around the Close for guests to admire, ranging from classic Bentleys and Rolls Royce's to the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino car and vintage motor bikes.

Bloodhound Super Sonic Car was proudly parked in the Quad outside the Chapel, everyone marvelled at this fine example of engineering at its best and we all wish the Bloodhound team the best of luck for their land speed record attempt in 2013.

The North Quad was home to 8 classic cars which under the expert guidance of Roger Mills gave visitors the chance to experience the thrill of a 15 minute ride in one of the magnificent 'beasts'. This proved extremely popular and many thanks to all the drivers who gave up their time to do this.

The event had a strong educational aspect inspiring future generations of engineers not only with the outstanding cars on display but also with areas such as the Rolls Royce 'build a kit car competition' or the Hovercraft on display which had been designed and built by pupils from the Pre's Hovercraft Club.

The Tigers Freefall Team from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment put on a fantastic aerial display with Union Jack flags strapped to their legs, the team jumped from 3,000 feet and landed with precision in the middle of the arena.

Visitors were later treated to a 'low fly' from a Royal Navy helicopter and also a breath-taking 8 minute flypast from a Spitfire plane. The GWAA helicopter took off to much applause, with two lucky raffle winners inside, which signalled the end of a successful day.

The event raised funds for the chosen charities; A Life for a Cure, The Prince's Trust, Great Western Air Ambulance and the NSPCC.

Please enjoy the video of the day and photo gallery.

8 June 2012

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