This year 2004 has been a year of many significant anniversaries for MG Cars and among these is that of 20 years since the founding of Bournemouth and Poole MGOC 1020, which held its first meeting on the first Monday of October in 1984 at the Mountbatten Arms. This inaugural meeting was organised by Nigel Hedges; twenty-five MGs attended and thus began Nigel’s role as an Area Secretary for the MGOC. Nigel is well known for his enthusiasm and tireless energy in promoting the MGOC and being a dynamic Area as well as Regional Secretary. Nigel is believed to be the second longest serving MGOC Area Secretary, apparently that honour goes to Steve Broad of Harrow. To record this anniversary I took a drive down to Bournemouth to chat to Nigel in his engraving shop and then take a tour around Bournemouth and Poole in his wonderful MGB. Those who know him will attest that Nigel is never lost for words and his willingness to advance the cause of MG ownership and enjoyment is quite boundless. While chatting with him in his shop I couldn’t fail to notice that Nigel also employs a very smooth banter with his customers, although this may be down to the majority of them being female and attractive.

Nigel in his engraving shop

Nigel has been an engraver since 1975. His career began from a holiday job that he took on between his O and A levels, it was based in the sports department of a big Bournemouth store. This brought Nigel into contact with the resident engraver who rented a spot in the store right next to the sports department. The engraver was an ex-army officer and a very formidable man, howevrer he was sufficiently impressed with Nigel’s enthusiasm and aptitude that he eventually offered him a full-time job. Nigel applied himself diligently and by 1980 was able to buy out his mentor and set up for himself in nearby premises. Having his own business and being available during working hours has given Nigel a particular advantage as an MGOC ambassador because it means that he is accessible and able to talk to prospective new members. Also being his own boss meant that he was free to talk to me.

A ride in a friend’s brand new black rubber bumper BGT started off Nigel’s enthusiasm for MGs, he was most impressed and remains devoted to the marque. Nigel has been an MGB Roadster owner since 1981, he became more interested in the cars after helping a charming lady friend to find and then buy a good MGB Roadster in 1979, he also went on to marry her a few years later.

After locating the right car for his friend he decided that he would also like one for himself and after a long search he bought the MGB Roadster that he still owns today. There have been other MGs in Nigel’s garage, a 1983 MG Metro, a 1989 2 litre MG Maestro which covered 128,000 miles without missing a beat and still on its original clutch (this Maestro ended its days as a customer courtesy car for a local MG specialist). Then he bought an MG 1100 four door that he was particularly fond of, he paid £50 for it and rebuilt it spending lots of money in the process, eventually Nigel was persuaded to part with the MG 1100 by a collector from Japan. All Nigel’s cars have been British from his first Austin 1100 and he has remained loyal to Rover to this day, cars in his stable currently includes a Rover Cabriolet, Rover 114 GTa and Rover 75.

Nigel’s first experience of attending a local motor club meeting left him with the belief that he could do a better job. As a prospective new member he had been dismayed by the arrogance of the people in the club, one of whom had greeted him and then asked how much he had paid for his MGB. On hearing the purchase price Nigel was told, ‘You were done mate’. Another disturbing feature of this elite group had been the complete absence of women. This initial encounter convinced Nigel it must be possible to run a friendlier, more inclusive club in which ladies would also feel welcome and thus it was that Bournemouth and Poole 1020 was formed. From the very beginning as an Area Secretary Nigel was keen to build up a broad membership and provide a genuine support service to all MG owners whatever example of the marque they owned. Nigel felt that it was also necessary to provide local knowledge and expertise, disseminate information, deal with enquiries and make recommendations about local MG specialists. ‘You also have to be an MG guru and even provide a shoulder to cry on’, he added. Among these roles Nigel felt that giving buying advice to prospective MG owners was most important and he is very concerned that an unsuspecting person can be duped into buying a bad example if they don’t know what to look out for.

Posing for the press at with Terry Waite alongside Patrick and Andrea Cooke of Athlehampton House

Nigel makes a speech to the assembled guests at the fund raising lunch held for Terry Waite

Nigel at the wheel of his favorite MG

Nigel’s MG collection

In Nigel’s opinion the most essential role of the MGOC at local level begins with effective communication and to achieve this he believes it is vital to produce a monthly newsletter with up-to-date news. Primarily the Club Newsletter ensures that everyone knows what’s going on and therefore has the opportunity to take an active part in events.

The first MG Run that 1020 organised was to the nearby New Forest. That same autumn ‘Live Aid’ was in full swing and by organising a sponsored pulling of two MGBs to Boscombe Pier, 1020 were able to raise an impressive £1,000 for ‘Save the Children’. The Mayor of Bournemouth took part alongside the local MP David Atkinson who owned an MG then and is still an MGF owner today.

The first major rally was held at Paultons Park in conjunction with the Southampton MG Owners’ Club. Charity work has always been a part of 1020’s events and activities, when a Club member Anne James bequeathed her MG Midget to him Nigel arranged for it to be sold at auction to raise £4,000 for the local charity TENOVUS Cancer Research. More recently 1020 has become very closely involved with Dorset SCOPE and has consistently raised money for them at their events, the annual gathering at Athelhampton House in particular.

By 1991 Nigel had become Regional Secretary for Home Counties South. He believes that the role of a Regional Secretary is to make sure that all the clubs talk to each other, get to know each other, support each other’s events and exchange their newsletters. Nigel is adamant that it is always a good idea to co-ordinate activities with other area clubs, for example when planning visits into other regions the support and knowledge of local clubs can be invaluable.

Nigel was keen to stress how much he enjoyed his role as Regional Secretary while he admitted that it was the kind of task where you can do as much as you choose to do, it was always a privilege to work with so many wonderful people. He was also full of praise for many his fellow Area and Regional Secretaries who put so much effort into supporting their clubs, organising events and playing a pro-active role. ‘Nearly all the current Area Secretaries for Home Counties South are the best we’ve ever had, and backed up by fantastic organising committees, you can see from their Regional Round-Up Reports just how much is happening at local level’, says Nigel.

‘It is important to remember that being a part of the MGOC has given all of us a vehicle to expand and enrich our life experience’, is how Nigel sums up the MGOC phenomenon. He feels that it is easy to lose sight of the essential fact that so much fun revolves around the simple concept of owning an MG car. ‘Your MG is your passport,’ Nigel explains, and it doesn’t matter which MG model it is either. ‘It is quite extraordinary how it is that owning and driving a particular make of car can open up so many opportunities for friendship and co-operation with other like-minded people’. Nigel recalled a situation when he stopped to help a chap who was changing a wheel on an ancient BGT. ‘I’m OK’, said the MG owner. ‘I don’t think you are’, replied Nigel pointing out that the BGT was not rising and that the car’s factory supplied jack was disappearing into its rapidly collapsing sill. Nigel quickly fetched his own scissor jack and soon had the GT safely lifted up and the wheel changed. ‘The chap was so grateful he wanted to pay me’, Nigel said. ‘But I pointed out to him, if you had been driving a Cortina, I wouldn’t have stopped to help’.

When I asked Nigel about his view on the best model of MG to own he was quick to reply, it was his MGB Roadster that remains his all time favourite. He would not wish to change it for anything else from the range not even an MG K3. Nigel had his MGB comprehensively restored about twelve years ago and as a consequence he has enjoyed trouble free motoring with it ever since. Its distinctive Bracken paintwork is unusual. After an error at the paint-shop it gained three parts extra red in the mix, but Nigel liked the new colour so much he maintained the erroneous mix when the car was re-sprayed in two pack. I was very impressed with the smoothness of the B’s engine at tickover, the absence of tappet noise and instant throttle response. It was also interesting to reacquaint myself with how nicely an MGB rides as we hustled around the busy roads of Bournemouth. Nigel is a great fan of Super unleaded petrol and says it suits his MGB very well. In fact he has run 1846 MG on unleaded for more than 10 years with no modifications, Nigel always points this out to those classic MG owners who worry about problems with unleaded fuel. His B has proved utterly reliable and has now covered 140,000 miles in total. A three-quarter engine was fitted at the time of the refurbishment and this unit uses not a drop of oil and gives 70psi oil pressure when cold and 60psi when hot. This unit cost £245 and Nigel sends his regards to Dave Parker of Mech Spec who supplied the engine that after 90,000 miles is still going strong.

Nigel’s enthusiasm for British cars is obvious from those that he has owned and runs today and he welcomes the newest offerings from MG Rover in the Club. It is interesting how many members who have MGBs and Midgets have now bought the latest Z saloons to use as daily transport. After the arrival of the MGF it took quite a long while before MGOC members started to buy them and it’s only comparatively recently that they have become really evident on Club road runs and at events. Now that second hand MGFs are more affordable many more people are being attracted to MG ownership. Classic cars went through a rocky patch and the fall in classic car values brought about a change in the type of owner, people no longer buy a classic and expect it to just appreciate in value. The idea of using your classic MG as show car has declined and more owners are now taking part in road runs, rallies and continental touring, they realise that the real enjoyment for an MG owner is behind the wheel.

After twenty years Bournemouth and Poole MGOC 1020 continues to flourish and Nigel Hedges remains as indefatigable and enthusiastic as ever. There is no doubt about how much he enjoys and relishes his role in the Club although he believes that it is always possible to improve. Nigel summed up the last twenty years by saying:”…..you can be , or think you are , the best Area Secretary in the world but without keen enthusiastic members you’re going to get nowhere…..my personal thanks to the ever changing amorphous mass that has been 1020 for two decades…..and to the stalwarts who have been with us right from the beginning who are playing a greater role in 1020’s success now than they did at the start !”….

No doubt 1020 will be celebrating their anniversary in style and looking forward to many more years of MG inspired enjoyment.

Richard Ladds