Tag Archives: paignton

Paignton Sea Front weekly Bike show by BMAD back home where I lived for a while and shows still going.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
11 Jul

Well, back in my old seaside town where I resided for a few years in the south of the country, started a great Motorcycle fraternity up called BMAD, (Bikers, Make A Difference).

First founded By Kelvin and Jane Halloran in 2003, this event and meetings have continued to grow and function as a very successful meeting in Paignton Seafront, attracting many of the public to come and look at these great two wheeled machines and also the main objective is that it raises money to help sick, disabled and disadvantaged children, also other worthy causes and charities within the TQ postcode area.


Funds are raised by hosting a three day festival on Paignton Esplanade over the May Day Bank Holiday (fri-sun), this includes live music, traders and of course bikes, Trikes and scooters!
We host 18 bike nights also on the Esplanade, these take place every Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm from the beginning of June through to the end of September, we are fully supported by bikers who make a donation on the gate for themselves and a pillion if applicable. Collection buckets are available for pedestrians to donate should they wish.

 


All monies raised by BMAD are used for charitable causes and all volunteers are unpaid.

General Information
We hold bike nights every Wednesday evening between the start of June and the end of September. Bikers donate £1:00 per person at the gate to park on the Esplanade and enjoy our bike night event.

In addition we hold a Bike Festival over the first May Bank Holiday weekend (fri-sun) and I have been to that a few years ago when I took a trip home as our MUM was dying from Cancer, that place was so cool, people remembered me from 30 years ago and it was like I had never left the Torbay area.

This bike meeting is always popular come rain or shine, the time I went , the weather was blowing hard, the air was colder than an Eskimo’s fridge and the H2o was starting to get stronger, but- everyone just enjoyed their-selves and rightly so, you cant let weather stop you from enjoying what you have a passion for.
What I love about it is that there is Old and New, so like Forrest Gump saying that life is like a Box of chocolates, Paignton sea front BMAD show is the same, as you just never know what you are going to get and as we look here a Cool Kawasaki 400 and the ring and ding ding of the RD400 and in restored condition, I can almost smell the Castrol R from here in California.
Road bikes, Classics and Customs, like this Bobber, there is always something for everyone and no attitudes either, a bang on meet up that others should learn from to be honest.
Mission
Our mission is to raise funds for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children within the TQ postcode area, to support local charities and other worthy causes.
This show is maybe 5 minutes walk from my old apartment and I used to love to walk along the seafront, buy a bag of fish and chips ans check all the bikes out along Paignton green.
Like I said, there is something for everyone, even this Lambretta got plenty of attention, mind you, many will not know what this model is, unless you are into Hair dryer Motors.
Good ole Motor Morini with Megaphones, as a teenager I loved to hear the sound of these V twins belting a long with their distinct roar.
So, a section for the Scooters were available, making this meet up a super friendly event and some rare ones at that.
The good Old 500. I had one of these in Blue, my first BIG bike, I traded it for a SL125 Honda and Ran a muck around East Anglia on it for a long time, those expansion chambers still ringing in my ears today!
Perfect pre unit that I would love to own too, hats off to the fella for bringing such a tasty treat along to this event, see if you can make the next one?
The meet up on the seafront is July 17th at 6pm Paignton seafront, hope you can make it and send me some cool pics.

FLYING HOME TO VISIT MY MUM

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
30 Apr

A hard time ahead right now, as I am typing this, as I am now on my way back home to Visit my Terminally ill MUM, as the Big C has almost won the fight, it is hard when you are so many thousand miles away but I need to see my Mum to say I love her and she will soon be out of pain and resting in a better place.

If it wasn’t for her, I would not be here, your MUM is a special person and don’t ever forget all she had done for you, it is not until such times as this that you reflect on the past and wished you could change it, but alas, we cannot but we can celebrate the life that all your family have had and continue it in your own life.

The road of life is an interesting highway and sometimes you get lost, take a wrong turn or even break down, but there is always other days when the trip is so fantastic that you don’t want it to end, my journey tomorrow will be a tough one but I know that when MUM see’s me, she will brighten up and she will know that I love her and want to spend this next week with her and my Brother.

I will have Dakota taking a handle on a few things to help me out and I am blessed to have him and his Mum and my girlfriend Jennifer, in my life to help whilst I am away.

I will answer emails via my Lap top and phone and I will still get your parts out in a timely manner, I shall be back Next Thursday if you need me but you can email me at carpy@carpyscaferacer.com and I will get back to you.

 

 

My MUM was Born in North London and lived in Enfield ( Middlesex ) in Forty Hill, many cool people have lived in that part of London.And have fond memories of that place.

Enfield was recorded in Domesday Book in 1086 as Enefelde, and as Einefeld in 1214, Enfeld in 1293, and Enfild in 1564: that is ‘open land of a man called Ēana’, or ‘where lambs are reared’, from the Old English feld with an Old English personal name or with Old English ēan ‘lamb’. The feld would have been a reference to an area cleared of trees within woodland later to become Enfield Chase.

 

The Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816. It closed in 1988, but some of its work was transferred to other sites.

 

Just for the record… CLIFF RICHARD lived in the house on the junction of PERCY ROAD and COLNE ROAD in the early sixties.

 

 

Ray Winstone lived in the smaller flats next to the big flats in Gordon hill Enfield,

 

 

 

Lenny Davidson,guitarist with the Dave Clark Five who sold 60 million records worldwide in the 60’s..was born in Enfield.

 

Reg Varney of ‘On The Buses’ fame lives in Enfield

Fond Memories of Enfield as My Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and God son are from there but now they live near my Mum in Devon, so comforting to know that she has some family there to support her, My Brother Mick and his wife Pauline have been an enormous help to Mum and I am so thankful for that, feel a little isolated when I am on the other-side of the Atlantic.

So, I now take the Big Silver Bird across the water and then a 5 hour drive down to Devon with my Brother and then get to see MUM, I know she will light up when I get there and want to let her know I am here for her and People here in the states are all wishing the best.

 

Thanks so much for the lovely emails, prayers and good wishes sent, it really is muchly appreciated and wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I will Blog as I go along so you can hear how things are going, a tough time for me and my family but I know we ALL have to go through this in some part of your life, just arriving too fast right now.

 

I am looking forward to seeing my Brother as we have always looked out for each other.