Cruise West Cumbria 15 was held in memory of retro_joe, (Joe Austin) and shaun_brad, (Shaun Bradberry).  Joe and Shaun tragically lost their lives on Tuesday 31st January 2006 in a car accident, both Joe and Shaun passed away at the scene.

    This tragic event has been a big shock to us all, our thoughts go out to their family and friends.

The members of Cruise West Cumbria requested a cruise to be held in memory of Joe and Shaun so we can all pay our last respects to them and remember them both for what they loved doing.  As requested by Joe’s family we collected money for the Great North Air Ambulance, and £134.63 was raised.

    Joe aged 18 lived in Millhouse, he was a true retro fanatic and took part in grass track racing in his mini which he had worked on since he was 14.  Joe owned a VW camper van which he planned to rebuild. Joe was a very well respected member on the forum board helping others whenever he could and showing great respect to other peoples ‘pride and joys’.

    Shaun aged 18 lived in Carlisle, he had a great sense of humour on the forum board and his friends called him a comedy genius.  He made many people laugh with his crazy face gestures and could keep everyone amused for hours.

    Flowers were placed at the road side in Carlisle as a mark of respect, these were from everyone at Cruise West Cumbria.  Both Joe’s and Shaun’s friends and family would like to thank everyone for the flowers, their kind messages and the support they have received during this sad and difficult time.

    Many messages were left on the forum from those who wanted to pay their respects to retro_joe and shaun_brad, if anyone else would like to they are more than welcome.

    It was a great pleasure to have Joe and Shaun as part of Cruise West Cumbria, they are missed by us all whether we knew them in person or knew them simply as retro_joe and shaun_brad.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sun on ripened grain
I am the gentle Autumn rain
when you awaken in the mornings hush
I am the sweet uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled light
I am the soft star that shines at night
Do not stand at my grave and cry....
I am not there.....I did not die

R.I.P

    CWC's first cruise of 2006 took place in Carlisle on the 20th of May. There were convoys from the North East, Dumfries, Manchester, Liverpool and even further a field. These, together with plenty of Cumbrian cars, meant that there was a good turnout which filled nearly all of the car park. The Cumbrian 'summer' had been and gone the week before, which meant that even though there was a good weather forecast, there were showers on the night. This didn't scare too many people away, most were happy to put up with the rain and enjoy the cruise. The burger van unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to an injury, but will be returning for our next event.

    It was good to see show cars on display that had spent the winter months in the bodyshop. There were plenty of new mods and new boot installs to see as well, some of which were having their finishing touches added only hours before the cruise. Along with the cars there were the CWC babes, the FUEL babes and the fire breathing babes from Teamnortheast to keep everyone entertained.

    As usual the Police kept an eye on the event, driving through occasionally to check up on us. As far as we are aware there were no complaints from either the Police or the general public, and no one was stopped by the Police during the night. With the small number of suitable large car parks that we have in Cumbria, it is vital that we don't upset too many people. Thanks to everyone who turned up and thanks to the Cruise Wombles who tidied up the car park at the end of the night. If we don't see you at one of the many shows we will be attending this year, we hope to see you all again at CWC16.

Fresh from the bodyshop that morning.

Winner of the Donny06 Autoglym Best In Britain.

Flames from a Skyline.

The CWC babes collecting for the Great North Air Ambulance.

The Teamnortheast girls playing with fire...

...fire breathing....

...and fire eating.

Flames from a Starlet.

No boot is too small for an install.

Flames from a Clio.