We’ll miss you, Ken

Sam Hewitt

–

7th February 2017

Moving farewell to Old Bike Mart founder Ken Hallworth

Fitting tributes were paid to Ken Hallworth, Old Bike Mart’s founding editor and the Vintage Motor Cycle Club’s first full-time national secretary, at his funeral service at Macclesfield Crematorium on Thursday, January 12.

To mark the occasion of *OBM’s* 300th issue in June 2010 we gathered together every editor this fine publication had had in its 25 year existence – all four of them – and took over the Raleigh stand at the Classic MotorCycle Show in April. Front and centre, seated on a Raleigh, is founder Ken Hallworth, while behind, from the left, are Malc Wheeler, Tim Britton and Nigel Clark.

Ken, who passed away at the age of 74 on Wednesday, December 21, was one of the warmest people you could wish to meet as well as a committed and knowledgeable vintage motorcycle enthusiast, and our hearts go out his wife Irene and family at this very sad time.

After a career that had encompassed being a draughtsman, salesman and motorcycle restorer, Ken took up the challenge of becoming the VMCC’s first national secretary with a passion, arriving at a club in turmoil and setting about schemes to save the organisation, including the never popular, but very necessary step of raising the membership fee significantly.

To bring in more money, he introduced the Vintage Motor Cycle Club Raffle, the first machine being a Big-Port AJS.

Read more in February’s issue of OBM – out now!