The Round Britain Coastal Drive was created in 2016 as a one-off event to raise funds for the charity Prostate Cancer UK. Yet such has been its popularity it has since continued annually, and it’s back this fall to run for its fourth successive year. For the second time the drive is for classic Jaguar XKs; the event alternates with being open to E-types instead. Its route this year is 3400-miles around the circumference of Britain’s mainland over 18 daily stages, featuring some new start and finish locations. The event will start on Monday September 16 from the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, and will conclude on Thursday October 3 back close to where it started, at Lyndhurst in the New Forest National Park. In the meantime it will have taken in Wales, the far north of Scotland’s mainland as well as the four corners of England. Anyone interested in taking part can find more information on the event’s website.
Since its inception the annual race has raised over £200,000 for Prostate Cancer UK and aims this year to raise another £45,000 to tackle further that one man dies every 45 minutes as a result of the cancer. Participants can pick and choose which of the 18 stages they take part in though plenty of ‘all-rounders’ drive the entire route. Over 200 Jaguar E-types took part in the inaugural drive in 2016, and the event is the brainchild of author Philip Porter (above) who in that ’16 running, a few months after recovering from prostate cancer himself, drove the entire route in his E-type, which featured in the film The Italian Job. Philip and his wife Julie founded the International Jaguar XK Club over 20 years ago.
“We are appealing to owners of XK-badged and XK-engined Jaguars, in the UK and further afield, to join us in some or all of the Road Britain Coastal Drive,” said Porter. “This is an enormously enjoyable way of driving your classic car, seeing fantastic scenery, socialising with like-minded enthusiasts, and raising money for a great cause.”
“We are thrilled that Philip and his wife Julie have organised this event for the fourth year in a row,” added Prostate Cancer UK’s interim director of fundraising Gabriella Bailey. “We are also so grateful that any funds raised through our partnership with the Jaguar XK Club this year, will be match-funded, pound for pound, by an anonymous partner. This generous offer will go towards supporting our specialist nurse services, the UK’s only telephone, email and Live Chat support specific to prostate cancer, at Prostate Cancer UK. Our specialist nurses are here for anyone living with or concerned about prostate cancer or prostate problems. There are over 400,000 men living with the disease in the UK, which means this service will continue to act as a lifeline for so many. By doubling the value, we are doubling the difference to the lives of men and their loved ones.”
Images courtesy of the Round Britain Coastal Drive
