The army of marshals and other volunteers are the backbone of the Veteran Car Run. It is no exaggeration to say that the Run could not be held without them - they all do an incredible job and we are enormously grateful to them all. Many of our volunteers return year after year - but the latest recipient of the Volunteer of the Year award made his Run debut in 2022, and it's fair to say that his assistance was simply invaluable. Norman Phillips, a 73-year-old retired Thames River Policeman from Reigate went above and beyond in his work in the lead up to and on the 2022 RM Sotheby's London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. 

Clerk of the Course, Barry Guess, detailed just some of the activities which made Norm such a worthy recipient:

"Norm assisted me twice on the initial route checks (one starting at 5:30am) and also attended the later Course Car recce. In the week before the Run, he individually loaded and distributed 100 extra traffic cones along specific parts of the route, drove to deliver documentation to a number of officials, and made a trip to Essex to collect the clocks for the Regularity Team. On the day before the Run, he spent almost nine hours, accompanied by his navigator, Gavin, driving the entire Run route, checking road signage and roadworks, while also delivering the clocks, radios and other pieces of equipment to the Regularity Team. 

"Very early on the morning of the Run, he delivered and installed the main time clock at Hyde Park, before setting off at 6:15am to act as the Red Route Course Opener, also delivering and installing 11  A Board and Checkpoint signs, as well as the regularity flags in Croydon. After completing his Red Route Course opening duty, he then headed back out on the road and supported the rest of the Course Car Team on the route.

"The day after the Run, Norm headed out again in the morning, collecting all the cones from the route and returning everything to the storage facility in Aldershot. He also collected a number of soggy tabards and radios from various locations before heading to the Royal Automobile Club at Woodcote Park to return numerous pieces of signage. 

"Without Norm I simply could not have achieved everything that was needed - and all this extraordinary support from someone who simply does things for the love of making people happy!"