The Morris Minor Owners Club is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016. The club is planning to mark this with a very special journey, including a visit to Ross-on-Wye.

In September, the club is celebrating its Ruby Anniversary by taking a standard specification 1962 Morris Minor four door saloon on a celebration trip throughout the UK.

The aim is to travel from John O’Groats to Land’s End but, instead of going directly, the car will attempt, over a period of four to five weeks, to visit every Morris Minor Owners Club (MMOC) branch in the UK.

The car will also visit a number of additional locations that are significant to the history of the car, or the development of the club since 1976.

The vintage car will begin its journey on Friday, September 2nd and, all being well, will arrive at Land’s End on Saturday, October 1st.

The journey will involve visiting 78 places including various Marie Curie Hospices, which the MMOC has a long relationship with.

The Wye Valley branch of the MMOC will play their part in the journey by collecting the car from the Malvern Hills branch at Ledbury on Tuesday, September 27th. Then they will bring it to Ross-on-Wye, where it will be on display at the Market Place, from about 1pm.

This will be an ideal opportunity for anyone wanting to have their photo taken with the iconic vehicle. The club members will also be collecting funds for Marie Curie.

The members plan to be at the Market Place until 3pm, when the car will head for Gloucester station, to pick up the next driver, who will take the car to Carmarthen for an overnight stay en-route to Newcastle Emlyn, West Wales.

If any Morris Minor owners who live locally would like to have some sort of involvement, please get in touch with Mike Williams, a member of the Wye Valley Branch of the MMOC. He can be reached via phone on?07719 300735 or via email [email protected]. Further details can be found in the MMOC magazine.

There is also a dedicated Facebook page where they will be logging progress and news at: facebook.com/MMOC.Charity.Marathon.2016