A BEWDLEY undertaker will be among Freemasons taking part in a charity drive featuring cars of yesteryear.

The Masonic Classic Car Run, on Sunday, intends to raise thousands of pounds for good causes.

It takes place at Drayton Manor Park, near Tamworth and among participants will be Chris Hart, the Bewdley undertaker who is a member of the Masons' Wyre Forest Lodge, which meets at Stourport.

Although he drives large Ford limousines in his working life, he gets behind the wheel of his 1969 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow during his leisure time.

"I've had it for about a year," he said, "and I've managed to find special Rolls Royce number plates for it.

"It was originally built for a company in Oswestry as a wedding car and does not have headrests because they would obscure the view of the bride.

"The picnic table is missing, too, to leave plenty of room for the wedding dress. It was the very last to be built with large chrome bumpers before the law required plastic ones to be fitted. The Rolls is my Sunday car and I try never to let it get wet."

Mike Long, of Vernon Lodge, which also meets at Stourport, is another Mason taking part in the run.

He bought his 1947 Rover 16 in Sri Lanka and was so taken with it he brought it back to Britain.

"I was out there working for the Government on agricultural irrigation and saw the Rover advertised for sale," he explained.

"It was owned by an attorney there called Vincent Modder. He was quite a character and in his 90s and he interviewed me to make sure I was a suitable buyer for the car. It's really a 1939 model. The bits were left over when the war started and were put together when the war ended."

Another Vernon Lodge member, Maynard Burton, is entering his red Jaguar E-type. "It's a bit of a toy," he said.

The Masonic Classic Car Run attracts participants from all over the country. The first two runs in previous years raised £50,000 in sponsorship, with half going to non-Masonic charities.

Among this year's beneficiaries will be When You Wish Upon a Star, which takes terminally ill children to Lapland to meet Father Christmas.

The event is also open to non-Masons who own classic cars. Contact John Cole on 01934 811116 for details.