Skip to content

Vintage car completes coastal charity tour of UK

Tony FisherBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
News imageJustin Dealey/BBC Two men standing either side of a vintage car with their hands on the sides of it. They are both wearing sunglasses. The man on the left is wearing a T-shirt and jeans and the man on the right is wearing an orange gilet and a bush hat. It is a sunny day and there are people in the background standing in a street, which has small shops on it. Justin Dealey/BBC
Paul Harold (left) and Harry Sear on their return to Leighton Buzzard after their journey around the UK coast

A vintage car has completed a 3,500-mile journey around the UK's coast to raise awareness about a mental health charity.

Harry Sear and Paul Harold set off on 11 April at the offices of Reclaim Life in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire and returned on 30 April.

Sear said that for 15 years the charity had helped "over 2,000 people in all sorts of mental health distress" and "we have even saved some lives".

The vintage Talbot 14/45 was about 100 years old, he said, and was named Lavinia which was a "nice 1920s name" - named after the mother of a friend he bought the car from.

Speaking ahead of the trip, Sear's wife Linda, who is chairwoman of the charity, said she was slightly apprehensive, but very proud of them.

News imageHarry Sear A vintage four-door car parked on the viewing platform by the Forth Bridge near Edinburgh. The red, long-span suspension bridge is in the background over the sea. Harry Sear
Lavinia by the Forth Bridge at Queensferry, near Edinburgh

Sear, trustee and founder of Reclaim Life, said the charity was staffed by volunteers who are trained to give five free sessions of life coaching, which he described as "really effective".

"It is our passion that every community should get to know about this and get to start up a group in their own town."

As Lavinia went round the country it carried a simple message - "with Reclaim Life a community can care for its mental health - make it happen".

News imageJustin Dealey/BBC Two men standing either side of the bonnet of a vintage car with each having one hand on top of a headlight. The car is parked on the road in a high street. The man on the left is wearing a leather furry hat and the man on the right is wearing a bowler hat and suit with a coat and scarf. There are people on the pavement in the background.Justin Dealey/BBC
Paul Harold (left) and Harry Sear (right) as they were about to set off on their journey around the coast of UK

After Leighton Buzzard, they had lunch at Ladbroke Hall in west London - which was the showroom for the Talbot motor company.

It celebrated the 100th birthday of both the Talbot Owners' Club and Lavinia's model, the Talbot 14/45.

After lunch they set off for the first stop over in Margate, Kent ahead of setting off west/clockwise on their journey around the coast.

The route included stops at Brighton, Bridport, Minehead, Blackpool, Dumfries, Ullapool, Wick, Dundee, Edinburgh, Berwick, Scarborough, Hunstanton and Southend.

Harold, who was a former lorry driver, said the three-week trip was "a lot of fun".

Only one small component in the car needed replacing, but, other than that, he said the car "ate the roads up".

Sear said they "had met some wonderful people; seen some great sights and had a great time".

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Related internet links