Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

I travelled to Mountsorrel in Leicestershire to see the start of the Measham Night Rally , an event which sees over 40 classic cars , drivers and navigators travelling around the countryside using the tried and tested map and compass method of old, no sat-navs here !. At the Stonehurst Farm and Motor Museum we start at the sign in and with the sound of engines revving and being prepped for the night ahead. Over to another farm building and a team of scrutineers check each vehicle for road worthiness and safety checking lights, steering and engine condition etc. Back in the farmyard there`s time to catch a bite to eat at the Farmers Den and consult the route maps before they are off into the dark of the night and surrounding countryside for the ultimate all righter, many tell me they wont be back till 5am on Sunday morning !.

Over two days in May 3rd - 4th the village of Desford travelled back to the 1940's with a festival of the 40's, with Vintage Cars (both civilian and Military) and themed areas across the village the wartime spirit was evident throughout. The event by the Desford Heritage group was timed to be the villages marking of 80 Year anniversary of #veday a celebration nationwide of Victory In Europe. Our Film begins with the Battlepipes rendition of Scotland the brave which cleverly is combined with the theme to Dads Army before a outdoor service in which Abide With Me is sung as Poppies are dropped from the tower of St Martin`s Church. The pipes can still be heard in the background as Sir Winston Churchill himself makes an appearance with his classic car parked in front of the church a moment so important it`s recorded by a press photographer from the 40's !. Back on the church green and visitors are given informative talks about communication both secret and otherwise in the era...

Just take a ride upon the busses !, could it be a long lost episode of a 70`s sitcom about bus drivers ?, No its Statbus, at night. Thanks to the Transport Museum Wythall the Statfold Country Park and Railway played host to a wide selection of restored, vintage and modern buses and coaches from across the country. We start the fun with a line up of various buses as one departs proudly declaring "It`s Best By Omnibus" along it's side, the green and cream vintage bus is soon joined by a brown bus before both head off on a shuttle service to local towns. Next up is a brightly painted bus from the Isle Of Man its unique shape and design a regular sight for islanders once upon a time. The Manx bus in red and yellow sits beside a midland red single decker making for a complementary pairing. Over at the railway and bridging the gap between bus and railway is the `Goose' a strange hybrid of locomotive and bus on rails. As the Goose waits at the station a small steam engine ...

The Victory Show, one of the UK`s biggest wartime re-enactment shows, returned to Foxlands Farm in Cosby Leicestershire. The event now in it's 19th year sees re-enactment and Living History groups from across the country meet at the farm just outside the village of Cosby in Leicestershire and has grown over the years to include an airshow, an area of woodland and more, alongside the main encampment to bring to life and give visitors an idea of combat in theatres of war in varied areas across the world. My film gives viewers a look around the event and the various 'scenes' by the groups from engineers erecting a telephone system as a marching band passes, to a Jeep suspended from a crane !.  The action moves to the Battlefield where tanks, soldiers and all types of military hardware, including a flypast from a Lancaster Bomber, from the era recreate scenes seen across the globe during wartime, after the battle we are reminded that although this is a staged display battles li...