The South of England Winter Classic Bikejumble was scheduled to take place at Ardingly in West Sussex on Sunday 17 January. Unfortunately, new tier arrangements mean IT WILL NOT GO AHEAD as planned. The next classic bike event at Ardingly is instead scheduled for Sunday 28th March 2021.
It’s not been easy for any event organisers to keep things ticking over this past year, but the Elk Promotions team have worked wonders to keep their classic bike shows and autojumbles open whenever possible.
Organiser Julie has devised a comprehensive ‘covid safe’ scheme to make the most of the five agricultural halls at the South Of England Showground, using one-way routes, hand-cleaning facilities and social distancing to allow old bike enthusiasts to browse over 100 jumble and trade stalls.
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You’ll also notice lots of extra stewards who assist with one-way traffic management and social distancing while ensuring there’s plenty of sanitiser to hand. ‘Thanks go to everyone,’ says Julie, ‘especially our hard-working stewards – without them there would be no event!’
‘It all felt very safe and the staff were friendly and welcoming,’ said visitor Nick who attended the last Elk event at Ardingly. ‘Well organised and lots of distance between the stalls. Looking forward to having a garage clear-out stall at a future event.’
‘What a super event,’ said Dennis, another happy visitor who grabbed the opportunity for an outing in the autumn, ‘and it cheered me up no end.’
Stallholders were equally pleased to be offering their wares and chatting with customers at a safe distance. ‘Ardingly was great,’ commented jumbler Ian. ‘A well supported event with many bike fans in attendance, nice to see some new and different sellers on site. We had a great laugh with the extremely cool and respectful bikers.’
Some old bike enthusiasts took the opportunity to finally sort out their sheds and sell those surplus spares which had accumulated over decades. ‘It was a great atmosphere and I met more nice people,’ said Roy who’d booked a garage clear-out stall. ‘I probably won’t have a stand again as I’ve nothing left to sell!’
Most of the traders will take shelter inside but you may find some of the more hardy types outdoors. The main heated hall will also feature a dealer showcase of bikes you can buy. So if you need spare parts, obscure components, electrical gubbins or possibly new clothing and kit to get ready for next year’s riding season then you know where to point your wheels…
Advance tickets are available online for £7 standard admission at 10am, or £10 for EarlyBirds who want to arrive at 7.30am and bag all the bargains. Should the event be postponed, your booking is automatically transferred to the next date, or you can request a refund.
Most important: remember to check the organiser’s website before you set off – just in case of last-minute changes to the rules and regs.
The South of England Winter Classic Bikejumble was scheduled to take place at Ardingly in West Sussex on Sunday 17 January. Unfortunately, new tier arrangements mean IT WILL NOT GO AHEAD as planned. The next classic bike event at Ardingly is instead scheduled for Sunday 28th March 2021.
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Photos by Julie Diplock / Sharon Benton
