Minister for Culture Arts & Leisure Edwin Poots MLA welcomed representatives from the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport and their new sponsor Wilsons Auctions to Stormont, where the news was announced. Members from organisers Armagh Lions and North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Clubs were joined by Peter Shepherd, Fundraising Officer for NI Hospice Care, the main charity to benefit from this year’s event, and Mayor of Armagh Cllr Charlie Rollston.

Minister welcomes Armagh Festival Sponsors to Stormont

Armagh Lions Club and North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club (NAMCC) Ltd are pleased to announce that Wilsons Auctions will be the title sponsor for this year’s Loughgall Festival of Motorsport ‘08, due to take place at Loughgall Country Park on Saturday 5 July.

Details were revealed outside Parliament Buildings at Stormont earlier this week, where in addition to the Historic Rally Car Challenge, Apple Blossom Autotest as well as static historic and classic car displays, organisers of the high profile event announced that there will be a further feature – a classic car auction!

“As a representative of North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club Ltd, we are delighted to welcome Wilsons Auctions on board for this year’s event,” said Clerk of the Course, William Fullerton. “The classic car auction will add a new and exciting dimension to the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport ’08, and sponsorship by Wilsons Auctions will ultimately ensure that more money goes to charity.”

Wilsons Auctions, which is the largest auction house in the country and one of the largest in the UK, was formed in Northern Ireland almost 70 years ago. The company was responsible for the first car auction in Ireland, and given the historic and classic theme of the Festival, is the perfect addition to the proceedings.

“Wilsons Auctions is delighted to be the main sponsor of the Festival of Motorsport 2008 at Loughgall Country Park,” Tyrone Gibson of the Wilsons Auctions Group said. “Incorporating the classic car auction as part of the event is sure to be a major success for both the promotion of the event and Wilsons Auctions, which inevitably will enhance the overall total raised for charity on the day.”

Minister for Culture Arts & Leisure, Edwin Poots MLA, welcomed the representatives of the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport to Stormont. As a keen sports enthusiast, Poots attended last year’s event and was stunned when he was treated to a passenger ride in Alan Jardine’s Mark 1 Escort.

He said, “I am delighted for Armagh Lions Club and North Armagh Motorcycle & Car Club. Last year I had the pleasure of attending the Festival and am looking forward to doing so again this year. Because this event is run annually as a fund-raiser, it is great news to have secured the backing from Wilsons Auctions, as this frees more cash for charity. Among those to benefit this year will be Northern Ireland Hospice Care, and I wish all involved the very best for what will be a spectacular day.”

Last year’s Festival attracted thousands of spectators to Loughgall Country Park in what was a fun-filled day for all the family. Building on that success, this year’s Historic Rally Car Challenge will feature a longer stage which competitors will tackle eight times, providing more mileage for competitors and more entertainment for spectators. With sponsorship from Wilsons Auctions, as well as the addition of a classic car auction, July’s event promises to be bigger and better than ever before!

ENDS.