All posts by Kevin Panter

Alder Drive – a new road entrance for Shuttleworth from Wed 7 July

A new permanent entrance for Shuttleworth College and Visitor Attraction opens on Wednesday 7 July. 

At the same time, College Road that currently crosses the runway will be permanently closed. 

The road forms a new entrance from the B658 Shefford Road, 0.6 miles west of the existing College Road and is named Alder Drive in honour of Professor Mike Alder, who recently retired from the Board of Trustees after 30 years as a driving force for Shuttleworth College and a guiding hand for the Trust. 

Alder Drive will be the new permanent main entrance for the Shuttleworth Collection and Swiss Garden, Air Shows and events, and Shuttleworth College, for all visitor, staff and delivery traffic. 

Please use Alder Drive from all routes from 7 July.  There is no postcode as such but SG18 9DX should take you to the entrance of the former College Road.  What3Words location is Irrigated.Nuggets.Training. 

Old Warden entrance will only be in use for access to Shuttleworth House.

Discovery Team Update

Although we are in lockdown and are unable to get to the collection to conduct face-to-face meetings, we have still been going strong with monthly Zoom meetings. We have been coming up with some innovative ideas to move forward with the Discovery Team. Everyone in our team has been working hard in between meetings to progress our impact in Shuttleworth and increase our recognition with other youth groups in museums. As well as coming up with new ideas for activities to teach and inspire young people who pass through Shuttleworth.

For example, Phoebe (our social media coordinator) has been getting a schedule together for when the Discovery Team will be posting on social media. This will raise our profile on social media and inspire young people to join the DT and partake in the activities we put on. This schedule also includes our aims for the posts our members will write.

As well as that, Jamaal (our partnership coordinator) has been working hard on thinking of how the Discovery Team can link our different partners. Since our previous meeting in February, he has been working on producing a list of potential and current partners, and creating a partnership pack that tells potential partners what we do and who the Discovery Team is.

We can’t wait to start putting plans into action around Shuttleworth and on social media, and meeting new partners in the near future. And of course seeing you around the Collection.

Art For All 2021

Let’s start the new year off with some good news. The successful Art For All sessions run by Guild of Aviation Artist member Phil Jackson will continue in 2021.

They will all feature aircraft and cars with an SVAS connection, whether purchased by the SVAS, restored with help from volunteers or owned by a volunteer and regularly seen at Old Warden.

For now we’re setting them all up on Zoom but, if the wider circumstances improve, we may well also hold live sessions at the Collection where SVAS members will have free site entry to these free art sessions. Thank you Phil Jackson!


The dates of the courses, which are free to all (not just SVAS members), are in the section below; if you would like to join in please register for the Zoom link by emailing svasoldwarden@gmail.com

FORTHCOMING SCHEDULE

  • Zoom Art For All ‘Sketching the Super Cub’ – Saturday 23rd January
  • Zoom Art For All ‘Piston Provost’ – Saturday 27th February
  • Zoom Art For All ‘ABC Motorcycle’ – Saturday 27th March
  • Zoom Art For All ‘Hillman Minx’ – Saturday 24th April
  • Art For All ‘Westland Lysander’ – Saturday 22nd May
  • Art For All ‘DH Chipmunk’ – Saturday 26th June
  • Art For All ‘Pitts Special’ – Saturday 24th July
  • Art For All ‘Leyland Double Decker’ – Saturday 28th August
  • Art For All ‘Citröen Traction Avante’ – Saturday 25th September
  • Art For All ‘Miles Hawk Speed 6’ – Saturday 23rd October
  • Zoom Art For All ‘De Dietrich’ – Saturday 27th November
  • Zoom Art For All ‘Comper Swift’ – Saturday 18th December

An Autumn Auction of Promises

Bidding is now open at the inaugural Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS) online ‘Auction of Promises’, part of the charity’s fundraising in support of the Shuttleworth Collection, which is facing tough operating conditions from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Auction is hosted through the National Fundraising Schemes secure external platform, where bidders have the chance to win an exciting array of lots that include rare and exceptional prizes, many unique to the Shuttleworth Collection for that #onlyatshuttleworth experience!

Arrive by air to a Shuttleworth air display - photograph by Darren Harbar
Arrive by air to a Shuttleworth air display – photograph by Darren Harbar

Lots include an ultimate Shuttleworth Airshow VIP experience with guest arrival and departure in a DH Chipmunk and a seat in the vintage vehicle parade. Or choose an open cockpit tour that include a Miles Magister flight and the chance to look inside some of the most interesting aircraft in vintage aviation. There’s the chance to ‘Meet the Pilots’ with a dinner for four at the RAF Club as guests of select Collection Pilots and Shuttleworth’s Chief Engineer. 

Dorothy travelling through Old Warden – photograph by Wayne Allen

For those happier on the ground, the steam experience day for two includes steaming up, belting up and running our drum and elevator, and an extended driving lesson in the 100-year-old engine, Dorothy. The experience includes a tour of the best Clayton & Shuttleworth working heritage collection in the UK, followed by dinner cooked in Dorothy’s smokebox. Or buy the bear who has accrued over a hundred hours in aircraft as diverse as the Collection’s 1909 Blériot, a variety of warbirds, the Blades and the Red Arrows teams, and has ‘test flown’ a Eurofighter Typhoon. Why not take him on his next adventure!

Royston the Bear
Could you provide a home for our very special bear Royston in our online auction

These incredible prizes have been generously donated in support of this much-needed fundraising. Don’t miss out! Auction closes at midnight on Sunday 20 December, with a presentation gift certificate for each successful winner – perfect for that last-minute Christmas gift!

For more details please click here!

About the Friends of Shuttleworth – The Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society

The Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS) Charity no. 800095 works to undertake fundraising and create a community of active volunteers to support the Shuttleworth Collection, home to vintage airworthy aircraft, working vehicles, and industrial heritage Clayton & Shuttleworth exhibits.

Based in Bedfordshire, UK, the SVAS raises funds and has donated more than £2,000,000 over the past 20 years to the Shuttleworth Collection, and provides in excess of 43,000 hours of volunteer time annually.

In 2014 the SVAS was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for “Educating the public in the science, practice and history of aviation and motoring by supporting the charitable work of the Shuttleworth Collection”.

Re-roofing the Living Van

Over the winter it was planned to re-cover the roof the Clayton and Shuttleworth Living Van that is normally seen on air display days providing a venue to serve tea to the hard-working volunteers and staff. When the living van had been restored about 10 years ago the roof was in largely good condition so was left alone, however age has caught up with it and some persistent leaks meant that it went in to the workshop at the beginning of 2020.

The roof had previously been covered with tarred felt, fitted at some point in its life as a shepherd’s hut. This covering was removed to reveal the roof boards underneath which were in good order with the exception of the edge board on each side. These were removed and replaced just before the lockdown was enforced in mid March.

Over the past month the roof has been prepared to receive the new roofing covering.  All the boards have been screwed down and holes filled and then sanded smooth and the curved mouldings at each end that sandwich the canvas under the roof boards have been remade due to the ravages of weather and age.

It is planned to fit a canvas covering which is closer to the original roofing style. The volunteers are now at the stage of applying the new canvas to the roof. To check that the proposed method will work, a test section of roof has been built and the canvas applied using the process below.

August Drive-In Air Displays – Tickets Selling Fast

After the sell-out success of the World’s first drive-in air display held at the Shuttleworth Collection on Saturday 18th July, tickets are selling fast for the next air display on Sunday 2nd August.

As numbers are strictly limited it is expected that this display will also sell out before the date, so we advise all SVAS members thinking of going to purchase their tickets now.

UPDATE: Tickets to the 2nd August show have now sold out!

https://www.shuttleworth.org/events/drivein-airshow-august/

The 15th August Magnificent Musical Flying Display will also be in a drive-in format and numbers will be limited. Please book early to avoid disappointment

https://www.shuttleworth.org/events/magnificent-flying/

Remembering Richard

This year we are commemorating the 111th anniversary of the birth of Richard Shuttleworth who was born on the 16th July 1909, and also the 80th anniversary of his death on 2nd August 1940.

A blue ribbon has been tied around the tree that was planted in the grounds of Old Warden Park to mark his birth in 1909 and is visible from the North Parkland that you can explore as part of your visit to Shuttleworth.

The hangars at Shuttleworth that house Richard’s collection are open once again so you can find out more about Richard and also see some of the vehicles and aircraft that he collected.

It is also possible to see some of the Collection in our latest virtual air display ‘Treasured Moments at Old Warden’ which is available to watch online now. Click here to purchase.

Proceeds from the virtual air display will go to our emergency appeal to help recover from the dreadful covid-19 closure.

We would very much appreciate any additional donations and these can be made online

July Drive-In Air Display Sold Out

Please note that the Collection’s first ‘drive-in’ air display, to be held on Saturday 18th July, is selling fast.

Tickets are strictly limited so if you would like to attend, we recommend purchasing your ticket now.

There will be no tickets available on the day and it looks like it will be a sell-out!

UPDATE – The July Drive-In Air Display is now sold out.

Tickets for the August Family Drive-In Air Display are on sale now!