The children were joined in the record bid by Team GB athletes including Rachel Cawthorn (kayaking), Abigail Edmonds (kayaking), Sophia Warner (athletics) and Adelle Tracey (athletics). Teachers and local councillors from Surrey County Council also took part.

They rings were formed on the George Abbot School playing field, in Guildford, at 12.45pm.

The previous record was set on June 24, 2008, in Beijing, China, and featured 1,202 people.

The Olympic mascots Wenlock and Mandeville and 1948 Surrey Olympic torch bearer Austin Playfoot also attended the celebrations.

Denise Saliagopoulos, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games, said: “It was fantastic to see so many children making a piece of Olympic history. There was a thrill of excitement in the air during the build up and it was spectacular to see everyone forming the Olympic rings. It started to rain just as the record was broken but it certainly didn’t dampen the spirits. There were smiling faces everywhere you looked.”

“I hope today’s event will encourage more children to get involved in sport. By doing this we can help them stay healthy throughout their lives. Taking part in competition also teaches young people that through hard work and dedication they can achieve their goals.”

High Level arrived on site at 11.30 and selected the best position to take the photograph. Just as the record started and the photograph was being taken the heavens opened and many people got wet but it did not dampen the spirits.

More info and some additional photographs can be seen on the High Level Photography site

Olympic Rings Geaorge Abbot School Image copyright High Level Photography Ltd

To object to Surrey County Council’s proposals to introduce on-street parking charges throughout the county please sign this online petition.

It only takes a couple of minutes and you could help retain the vitality of our Surrey towns and save hundreds of local shops and businesses who are already struggling to survive in this fragile economic climate.

If 20,000 signatures are collected before 23rd March, SCC will have to take the escalating protests seriously because they will then be compelled to hold a formal debate. Don’t delay; this petition merely demands a formal debate, a democratic right to which we should feel entitled with or without a petition!

http://petitions.surreycc.gov.uk/ParkingCharges/

The petition is organised by Miss Caroline Salmon Deadline is 23rd March 2011

Surrey County Council has a responsibility to ensure a sustainable local economy in the county. The introduction of on-street parking charges in our market towns and larger villages would have a negative impact on their vitality and viability. Introducing new charges on well used, existing free parking areas, will disadvantage local retailers and commerce at a time of economic difficulty. The new charges are also often higher than those in off-street car parks at nearby locations. These proposals will seriously effect passing trade. They will inconvenience local people seeking a visit to the cashpoint, collecting a parcel or prescription or making a quick visit to a shop for a simple purchase, and they will increase car parking congestion on residential roads close to town and village centres. The cost of installing meters and enforcement would be a major charge on any funds raised by the scheme. We demand that the council abandon its proposals for these new on-street parking charges

Daimler DB 18 Drophead Coupe at Brookalnds

This rare vehicle (a Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe) is due to be auctioned at Brooklands on 4th December 2010. It was used by Winston Churchill in his 1944 and 1949 General Election Campaigns. The vehicle has recently been completely refurbished ready for sale. It is expected to be sold for around £250,000.

The irony is this car was re-furbished in Germany!!!

Don Wales Holder of UK land Speed Record for an Electric Car | image copyright Ian Leslie / Medius

Don Wales holder of the UK Land Speed Record for an electric car, who is the nephew of Donald Campbell – another famous record breaker, announced earlier this that he will attempt to break his own electric record and exceed the outright record set by his grandfather, Sir Malcolm Campbell, in 1925 in the early spring of 2011.

Don Wales has clearly inherited the quest for speed. In May this year he twice broke the world land speed record for a lawnmower leaving it at 87.833mph. He also holds the world record for a steam powered car (148mph) as a member of Charles Burnett III’s British Steam car team at Edwards Airforce base in August 2009.

Speaking after successfully completing the RAC Brighton to London Future Car Challenge in a hybrid car, Wales said: “I have held the record for over ten years and it’s now looking very vulnerable. I want to set the UK record well beyond 150mph – the speed Sir Malcolm clocked in 1925. Ideally, I’d like to match his record of 1927 – 175mph.”

The attempt is part of the Campbell family celebration year of the centenary of Sir Malcolm Campbell first christening a car Bluebird at Brooklands in 1911.

Don Wales and the Bluebird Electric Team set the current record of 139mph in August 2000 on Pendine Sands, Wales. They will return to Pendine Sands in the spring of 2011 – the venue for Sir Malcolm’s successful land speed record attempts in the 1920s.

Wales also has plans to attempt a new world land speed record for a battery car and has his sights set on 500mph, and is currently evaluating several design options. He says: “At last the world is making real progress with electric vehicles as a viable alternative to the internal combustion engine. Ten years ago electric vehicles were unheard of in the news, and people couldn’t understand the importance of electric car technology. Now there’s a whole new generation of electric road cars in production. The UK is a world leader in automotive technology, particularly in the cutting edge and highly competitive field of motor sport, and Land speed record projects have a history of boosting technological developments which is why I’m planning a world beating battery car”.

Project Director Martin Rees said “Don’s ambition to be the fastest in the world is a goal we are all working hard to achieve and his recent speed record breaking exploits, and those we achieved in the electric Bluebird ten years ago, are testament to his undoubted dedication and commitment to excellence”. Rees added, “Taking the car back to Pendine next spring with improved drive and bodywork will be another chapter in the Campbell and Wales and Pendine story.”

Don Wales at Brooklands Museum, Surrey Collecting Bluebird for a new Land Speed Record in 2011 – 16th November 2010 Images Copyright Ian Leslie / Medius

His son, Donald, continued the record breaking tradition and broke the 400mph barrier in a turbine powered Bluebird.
Don Wales holds a World Land Speed Record, two American National Records and eight UK records.

Pictures by Ian Leslie of High Level Photography Ltd, available from High Level Photography Ltd or Rex Features.

See More pictures here

Cement Lorry on railway track

Our sister company is in the news with it’s aerial photography of the proposed new Cobham Motorway Services Area site.  Ian Leslie, director of High Level Photography, specialist Low altitude aerial photography.  Normally useing specialst Vehicle that have mast that reach up to 25 metres / 84 feet.  This time Ian, a pilot and local resident of Cobham, went up as he realised none of the local newspapers or online article had any photographs showing the impact the development would have.

Site of Cobham Motorway Services Area M25 Surrey (c) Ian Leslie High Level Photography

Read more information on this at High Level Photography’s site an the following detailed article on the Cobham Motorways Services M25 Site.

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Brooklands Motoring Festival a Great Success

Bugatti Beats All Comers in Double Twelve Competition

Riley Sprints to Top Honours on the Track

Brooklands 1907- 1939 Memorial

A 1926 Bugatti Type 35 which was sold to its first owner by Brooklands personality Malcolm Campbell made a triumphant return to the Birthplace of British Motorsport.  It beat a strong field of immaculate classic cars to take overall first place in the Brooklands Double Twelve competition on Sunday for its current owner, Chris Jaques. And in a similarly nail-biting finish on the Mercedes-Benz World circuit next door, Pete Candy’s 1936 Riley Special “Super Rat” stole first place in the Brooklands Speed Trials by just 0.2 sec from Terry Crabb’s ERA  R12C. The two competitions kept a strong crowd at the 2010 Brooklands Double Twelve Motoring Festival – organised by Brooklands Museum and the Vintage Sports-Car Club – captivated throughout two days of motoring action, spectacle and glamour which culminated with the Museum’s Royal Patron Prince Michael of Kent presenting the Double Twelve prizes.

In the Double Twelve competition – in which car and driver had to excel in both complicated driving tests and the rigorous judging of a concours d’élégance to be in with a chance of winning – the Bugatti narrowly but decisively beat Simon Taylor’s beautiful 1937 Bentley 4¼ litre Sedanca Coupé, which was a winner at last year’s Pebble Beach concours in the USA. Other class winners included John Dennis’ 1907/16 Berliet-Curtiss racer, Alex Pilkington’s 1930 Alfa Romeo 1750 Zagato, Bryan Smart’s 1973 Porsche 2.7 RS Carrera and Jo Moss’ 1973 Morgan Plus 8.

Another historic Grand Prix Bugatti claimed honours in the Brooklands Speed Trials – this time it was Martin Overington’s spectacular 1927 Type 35B grand prix car, which was the fastest Vintage (pre-1931) car, taking just 1.36 longer to cover the 900 metre course than Candy’s time of 43.0 sec. The fastest road-going sports car was Andrew Mitchell’s 1937 HRG 1½ litre, and honours in the closely-fought Edwardian (pre-1919) class – with six giant racers taking part – went to Karl Foulkes-Halbard’s  5 litre 1907 Corbin Vanderbilt Cup car.

Brooklands Museum Director Allan Winn said: “The 2010 Brooklands Double Twelve Motoring Festival proved to be a real hit with competitors and spectators alike. We were very pleased to see so many families and enthusiasts enjoying the biggest competition event held at Brooklands since the original circuit closed in 1939. We look forward to building on the success of this weekend at the next event in June 2011.”

Mike Stripe, Secretary of the Vintage Sports-Car Club commented: “The VSCC and Brooklands have a natural affinity and it was most pleasing to see the two organisations working together for the Brooklands Double Twelve Motoring Festival.  Close but friendly competition was the flavour of the weekend, both on the Mercedes-Benz World track and on the legendary Brooklands banking, some 70 years on from the first Double Twelve Events in the 1920s and 30s”.

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