Classic car owners go on tour for brave young boy

Connor and Matt Crawford

Dozens of motoring enthusiasts have helped raise funds which they hope will help a youngster suffering with a life-limiting condition by taking part in the Tonbridge Lions Club annual Classic Car Tour.

Town Mayor Cllr Mark Rhodes was among 48 entrants taking part in the event supporting research into four year-old Connor Crawford’s illness, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, for which there is presently no cure.

It is believed to affect around one in 3,500 boys in the UK and in many instances leads to a loss of mobility before sufferers reach their teenage years.

The four year-old’s parents set up a charity called Chasing Connor’s Cure earlier this year, and this has already helped raise thousands towards developing treatment.

Lions members turned out to back the cause in a host of vintage vehicles – everything from a 1937 Jaguar SS100 through to classic 1970’s MG sports cars.

Owen Baldock, who went on the tour of Kent with his wife in their 1936 Ford 8 Model Y, said it had been a great experience.

He said: “It was a brilliant day out, covering 106 miles around the county, including some areas of Kent that I didn’t know before.

“The event is raising money to help young Connor and it was good that we were able to support him.

“My wife is only the third owner of her Ford 8, as it used to belong to her father who bought it in the 1950s.

It’s an interesting experience to drive it, as there’s no power steering and it has brakes that require about a fortnight’s notice before they actually do anything. I think ours was the second oldest car to be running and we had a lot of fun.”

Connor and Matt Crawford
Connor and Matt Crawford

Mike Edwards, Chairman of the Lions organising committee, added that the run had proved another successful fundraising event by its members.

He said: “This was the third year we have held the event and the feedback from the participants was again very complimentary and we plan to hold the event again next year.”

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