Coventry Bees Speedway - Brandon Stadium

Hi Karen - welcome to the Forum! I do know of an avid Bees collector and historian, but he's now located in the south-west - no longer in Coventry. I'm certain that he would be very interested in it. I can contact him for you, but I agree that if it can be kept intact in Coventry in a place where it is treasured, that would be the best option. I would love to go through it with you, as I also have a (much smaller!) collection of programmes and photos, but I live in Australia! Maybe you could take a few pics of your collection?

There's an increasingly active historic speedway scene in UK, and a museum has been set up by volunteers from the National Speedway Riders Association at the Paradise Wildlife Park (!) in Broxbourne. Maybe they would be interested in hosting your collection...

Sadly I never managed to get to see The Bees at Brandon Stadium, I did enjoy watching the Stock Car events.... It would be good to see the speedway, and other events, back at Brandon.

The subuteo speedway table top game sounds interesting Karen - Love to see that Is it the same as this?

Hello Yes, it's similar, but in a much bigger box and the track is plastic. Karen

Thank you. I did wonder about contacting the transport museum actually. Perhaps they would be able to help. The archive centre is interesting as well. I agree it should all be kept together. Karen

Press statement below from Steve Jones, convenor of the "Save Coventry Speedway" group. WE WOULD URGE EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS OUR AMBITION TO SEE THE RETURN OF MOTORSPORT EVENTS AT THE ICONIC BRANDON STADIUM, TO SEND A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO RUGBY BOROUGH COUNCIL ASAP, EITHER BY EMAIL OR POST. We cannot emphasise enough how important it is at this time that you send in your messages of support. We would like to thank Cllr. Michael Moran for his support and for engaging with fans on Facebook. The statement reads: The next phase in our fight to restore speedway and stock car racing to the world-famous Brandon Stadium comes with the consultation process for the new Rugby Local Plan. The proposed policy reads: "The council supports the restoration of Coventry Stadium, Brandon for speedway and stock car racing and other motor sports together with other community uses. Planning permission will not be granted for development proposals which would conflict with these objectives." The consultation period runs until May 19, and we are asking all speedway and stock car supporters - plus local residents who also want the site to remain as a motorsports venue - to please send an e-mail or letter of support to the Council. We would ask you to state your support for the Council's designation of Brandon as a significant motorsports venue in the emerging Local Plan, and to possibly add some brief explanation as to why the stadium is important to you personally. We cannot stress enough this is a critical moment in the Campaign, and every single response really is important. Emails should be sent to localplan@rugby.gov.uk With 'Preferred Option Consultation Policy Number W1b' in the subject line; or responses can be sent by post to: Preferred Option Consultation, Development Strategy Team, Town Hall, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2RR. Whichever option you choose, you must include your name and address. The deadline is May 19 but responses sent as soon as possible would also be helpful. You may well have read the social media posting of the Leader of Rugby Council, Michael Moran, who is proactively seeking to resolve the issue of Brandon, and this can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelMoranRugbyLabour In his statement, Cllr Moran refers to the need for "a viable business plan for a new stadium must be put forward and underpinned by external independent professional advisers." We want to reassure speedway and stock car supporters that ever since Brandon Estates failed on appeal to secure planning permission for the site, our focus has been on the ways we can move from successfully objecting to planning, to being able to deliver a long-term solution. Supporters will remember that in 2020 an offer to buy the stadium was made by businessman and stock car enthusiast Warren Hunter - an offer which was never accepted or refused by the owners, despite the inferences made at the Appeal. It is now an appropriate time to confirm that we are working with a consortium of committed individuals, which includes Mr Hunter, all of whom are credible businessmen and who possess the financial, technical and operational capabilities to firstly secure and clear up the site - which remains subject to appalling security breaches engineered by the owners - in a timely manner, and then to restore the site for racing. These discussions have been ongoing since the summer of 2024, and we are fully confident that with the support of Rugby Council to gain control of the site, it will be possible to speedily end the years of misery for local residents and motorsports fans following the forced closure of the stadium. Support for the Local Plan Policy as referred to above would be of significant benefit to this process, and we therefore urge everyone wishing for the return of the stadium to please e-mail or write in to the addresses above.

FYI - this is what I submitted to Rugby Council... I think it's important to show the "community" benefits of the speedway.... I was born and raised in Coventry, watching speedway at Brandon from the age of four, working as a member of the track staff in my teens and supporting the Bees from afar after migrating to Australia in 1973. In that period, Brandon Stadium grew from a quaint stadium hosting a second division speedway club to an internationally-renowned centre of excellence in speedway and stock car racing and hosting major events that were seen by millions on TV around the world as well as thousands at the track itself. Speedway racing offers young men (and women) the opportunity to learn an exciting sport and potentially to follow a very well-paid career. But it is more than that. Watching riders compete and seeing how team spirit can lift an individual - and even a community - is both inspiring and educational for young spectators. I, personally, learnt arithmetic by filling in score charts and reading rider averages. By the age of six I could predict which team would win several heats before the finish, based on an assessment of the likely results of subsequent races, and I understood the concept of an average. These were skills that set me up for life. Sadly, I don't get the chance to attend meetings at Brandon anymore, but for me it was a chance to regularly meet friends in a context that brought the community together. Following the team to away matches also reinforced the community element. As you can see, I am still passionately involved in speedway over 70 years after my first experience of it. I would sincerely hope that speedway can be brought back to Brandon. BTW, I don't think it would be breaking any confidence if I let slip that a former Bee, and a good friend of mine, and a track-prep genius - has travelled from Australia to assist! John Walker Secretary, Australian Speedway Riders Association

JW.

I have emailed a response in the hope that "every little helps". I've also made the email link localplan@rugby.gov.uk an automated one.... if anyone clicks it, a fresh email will open up on your computer (assuming that you have an email programme installed), prefilled with the correct email address, plus "Preferred Option Consultation Policy Number W1b" as the subject, and "Dear Rugby Borough Council," as the opening line. After that, it's up to you..... I'm now going to contact a couple of old friends who I know used to have a big interest in the Bees. It's quite an exciting thought that there's an growing possibility of speedway and stock-car back at Brandon!