The Rally is organised by The Game Club, a local (Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire area) charity that raises money for local worthy causes and hardship cases not otherwise aided by national charities.
The club started in 1985 when a group of 12-15 friends decided to meet three times a year for luncheon at The Partridge Arms in Aston Clinton. At one of those meetings the landlord invited those present to put some money in a collection box he had been given that morning. Funds were being raised to help finance Diane Coates, a wheelchair bound patient at Stoke Mandeville Hospital's National Spinal Unit, on a trip to compete in the rifle-shooting event at the Paralympic Games taking place after the 1988 able-bodied Olympics in Seoul.
We asked the target sum being raised, and were told it was around £2000 to cover flights, carer's expenses etc. It was suggested that we raise the lot, this was agreed and fund raising events such as 24 hour sponsored snooker, a sponsored walk and race nights etc started immediately. After we had raised the money we decided that we should find a proper title for ourselves to use at the official presentation. The name "The Game Club" was decided upon, taken from The Partridge Arms where we enjoyed our lunches, a partridge was adopted as the club emblem.
About three weeks before the event Diane discovered that in order to satisfy the competition rules she needed a special wheelchair costing £1650.00. It was decided that having got so far we should make every effort to raise this amount as well. We managed and literally with hours to spare saw Diane off on her adventure. Our efforts were made all the more satisfying when she returned proudly displaying her Gold Medal.
What next?
We had all had so much fun from the hectic activity surrounding our fund raising efforts that a proposal to continue sponsoring good causes was readily agreed upon. And so it has continued to this day.
Game Club membership has now grown to some 30 people who organise several fund raising events, the main one being "The Chiltern Hills Vintage Vehicle Rally" held annually on the third Sunday in May at Woodlands Farm, Weston Road, Aston Clinton next to Aylesbury Rugby Club.
