Brooklands Members AGM 2023 Update

At the AGM on 20 September 2023, six new members were welcomed to the Committee. Here is a reminder of their profiles from the July/August Edition of the Brooklands Bulletin.

Further information about the whole Committee and their work will appear in the Bulletin over the next 12 Months.

Nigel Abbott

I’ve been a Member of Brooklands for 30 years, starting as an enthusiastic dad bringing two small children along soon after the Museum opened in 1991. Two years ago, I became a Volunteer and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Brooklands ‘special welcome.’

Being part of the Members Committee I’m sure will extend that, not only sharing some of the ideas from my past professional experience, but also representing views and ideas from other Volunteers.

From a career perspective, I was initially a BBC producer and then, after 10 years in the oil world, became Communications Director for a major FTSE company with businesses and employees right around the world.

A motoring and motor sport enthusiast, I’ve owned a Frogeye, a Morgan, and now an MGB, and together we’ve taken part in several Classic Car Rallies.

Brooklands is a unique place. I hope I can help in some way, staying on the right (banked) track for the future.

Christopher Bound

My first meaningful visit to Brooklands was in 1990, during the Museum’s formative years. I recall that the Clubhouse had been refurbished, but all the sheds were in a sorry state of disrepair. It was enough to pique my interest. I’ve been fascinated with the place ever since and became a Member about 10 years ago.

Since an early age, I have been passionate about cars. As a teenager, I learned basic maintenance on the family cars and, in my twenties, I carried out a four-year restoration of a 1969 Aston Martin – shiny on the outside but very rotten under the skin.

Since my retirement, I have been a Volunteer in the Motoring Team, where I maintain the Museum’s car collection.

Away from Brooklands, I am Treasurer for Thames Sailability, a charity which provides river trips for disabled children and young adults with special educational needs. At home, I’m squeezing a 3.9-litre V8 into an MGB.

I look forward to playing a greater role in the future of Brooklands.

Jonathan Braim

I’d like to work with you in getting the most fun and enjoyment from your membership. I’ve been experiencing what Brooklands has to offer for a while and have indulged in the many motoring and aviation delights this very special place gives us.

I enjoy maintaining and driving classic cars and vintage motorbikes, and as a late starter to travelling abroad I’m finding ever more ways to combine the two.

For me, Brooklands is about bringing people together to build on the emotional attachment and interaction we all have with such a tremendously atmospheric place. I’ve enjoyed arranging and experiencing events at Brooklands, and would like to be able to do more on your behalf.

I am committed to preserving its past whilst developing its future, without losing its unique spirit and special qualities that is our shared passion. It would be a privilege to listen to and promote your views, helping the Committee stay informed about how you want to continue advancing the legacy of Brooklands.

Fiona Easterby

I’m best known for driving a 1969 Baja Beetle from the UK to Singapore, a journey which took me across the Middle East and over the Himalayas. I’ve also driven across the Sahara Desert in a £99 Beetle, to Mongolia in a Micra, and have filmed Formula 1 races and vintage car rallies around the world.

I have worked as a TV camera operator for 30 years and, after giving a talk at the Museum about my motoring travels, I was recruited by the team to help out with filming.

I’m also a member of the Goodwood Road Racing Club and the Drivers Union supercar club. I’d love to get them more involved with the Museum and also encourage some of the fascinating petrolhead women I know to get involved. I’ve already agreed to film a series featuring some of them for the BM.tv Youtube Channel. You can see a couple of films with me at the links below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cHhTOT90Yw

www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8yDvQw0YLM

Derek March

I’ve been a Member for nine years, but my family connection goes all the way back to the 1940s when both my parents worked on the site for Vickers-Armstrongs, hence my passion to see Brooklands continue to improve and remain successful.

I am currently a co-opted member of the Members’ Committee with responsibility for the Members’ Fast Track Team, so if you have visited one of the many events held each year, you will probably have seen me at the Fast Track entrance. My experience on the committee to date has convinced me that I can make a positive contribution to the Museum’s future by bringing to bear my many years of experience in operational and programme management roles.

I hope to be able to continue to work on behalf of both you, the Members, and the Museum to ensure that Brooklands continues to live up to its mission statement to help Members and visitors learn and enjoy their time at this great attraction.

Mike Taylor

I have visited Brooklands on many occasions, becoming a Member to get more involved with the Museum.

Since childhood, sat at the family table, I would build and paint Airfix models, then as a teenager decoking or replacing flywheel ring gears on my father’s car. It was super fun to crawl around car scrapyards finding the right parts.

My first car was a 1965 Morris Minor, building to exotic sports and performance cars later on. My first restoration was a Daimler Dart 30 years ago, and I ran a garage in Leatherhead in the early 1990s, later moving into film and broadcast as a technical engineer, and progressing to technical direction.

I transferred to IT due to digitization, and I’m now an IT systems analyst designing large IT systems for a city-based company.

I’m currently two years into the restoration of a Mk2 Triumph Spitfire.