Rally Cancellation August 2020
A note from Helen Carrick, Rally Secretary and Vice Chairman of the Biggar Albion Foundation Ltd.
Due to the ongoing risk to public health from Covid-19, it is with extreme regret and sadness that the rally committee have been forced to cancel The Biggar Rally, due to be held on 16th August 2020. This is only the second time the Rally has been cancelled in its 48 years of operation – the previous cancellation resulted from Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001.
The health and wellbeing of all exhibitors, spectators, volunteers, and committee must be our primary concern for at least the next few months, as it has been since the beginning of lock-down in mid-March. The committee have left this decision until the last possible moment in the hope that some level of normal life may resume later in the summer, but it is increasingly apparent that it would be impossible to ensure sufficient safety for all, given the current format of the Rally, and indeed would be unlikely to be permitted by the Government.
The committee hopes you will all sympathise with our position and will consider attending in 2021, if everything is back to normal then or if suitable amendments to the event, where required, can be made.
The planned date for the rally will be Sunday, 15th August 2021.
However, this could not have come at a worse time for the Biggar Albion Foundation Ltd, The Albion Club and the Biggar Rally. Sadly we lost our new museum building after the death of the sponsor and had to move many of the vehicles into paid storage, and following two years in which rally income was severely impacted by inclement weather, we face the reality that there will be no income in 2020 which means that it will be extremely difficult to finance the Foundation and Club's ongoing expenses such as climate control for the Archive, storage, insurances, website, email, daily running costs and the 2021 Rally without injection of funds.
With the sole exception of the first Rally in 1973, the Rally has thereafter been entirely self-funding. All income is retained to cover the expense of hosting the Rally and the continuance of the Albion movement in Biggar. None of the organising committee are remunerated for their involvement.
If you feel that you can assist with a donation, these will be gratefully received by either:
A Paypal donation using this button:
Or by posting a cheque, made out to The Biggar Albion Foundation Limited, to Helen Carrick, 12 High Street, Biggar, ML12 6BN.
Should you have any questions or would like to discuss anything further, please do not hesitate to contact Helen Carrick on 01899 221 497 option 1
Finally, please accept our sincere thanks for your support of The Biggar Rally.
Kind regards and keep safe.
Helen
