Austin Healey Club Northern Centre Harrogate Weekend 2026

This year’s Northern Centre May Bank Weekend Event took place in Grange-over-Sands at the Netherwood Hotel and Spa over the weekend of 1-4 May. The hotel was the private home of a Bolton cotton merchant until the 1930’s when it then became a hotel and it has passed through several owners since then last changing hands in July last year in the middle of our event planning! However the transition was very smooth and the very lovely and very loyal staff remained. The hotel overlooks Morecambe Bay. It is ideally positioned on the outskirts of the town approximately 5 minutes walk away from the centre, where a variety of shops and tearooms could be found.

We welcomed 27 cars and their owners and passengers to the event and we all received a very warm welcome from staff at the Hotel. From the Events Manager to bar and restaurant staff nothing was too much trouble. The ambience was cosy and the food excellent.

Two routes were provided by Mike Stonier and Paul Johnson. The Saturday run took us through spectacular scenery, such as the infamous Kirkstone pass. Sunday’s route us to the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway where we boarded a steam train to Lakeside and then a boat to the town of Bowness on Windermere. The weather was not particularly kind but it was sunny and cloudy rather than rainy.

As far as evenings are concerned, Friday comprised of meeting old friends and making new in the bar and over a sumptuous dinner in our designated evening room. Dinner on Saturday was followed by superb entertainment, a casino night with roulette and blackjack. The overall winner with the most money at the end of the evening was Krystyna Evans, next stop Las Vegas for her.

On Sunday we had our gala Dinner followed by our Concours results in which the winners are voted by the participants themselves and our Cornish raffle. The prizes were given by our participants and their generosity in buying tickets resulted in a donation of £650 being made to the charity suggested by Bernadette this year, Endometriosis UK, a very worthy cause, to help fund research into this truly dreadful condition which affects 1 in 10 women. This is a little known charity and the donation will be much appreciated and put to good use. This was followed by a DJ who had us all or nearly all dancing the night away.

On Monday morning goodbyes were said though some people stayed for an extra night to enjoy the hotel and surroundings in a more leisurely way. These weekends seem to pass so quickly.

The Concours winners are

The organisers would also like to thank all our participants, without them the event would not happen. We thank you for your cards, good wishes and amazing generosity. This is the last time Paul and Jacqui are leading the organising of the event. They have done a marvellous job over the last 8 years and we hope they share their expertise with ourselves for we have offered to stay on for next year’s event.

Next year we plan to remain at Netherwood though there may be slight changes to the dates. There is so much to do in the Lakes that the event will not simply be a repeat of this event. So we hope people are not put off. Other Centres often re-use the same hotels without problems arising and now 12 months is not long enough to find new places due mainly to advance bookings of weddings. More information will follow.

Happy Healeying!

Mike and Bernadette Stonier