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I was fortunate to have started my collecting career in the 1950s thanks to an older cousin who was fanatical about motor racing but not dedicated to "hoarding". My first race meeting was the local Liverpool circuit of Aintree. I was 14 and that started my programmme collection then and there. I was fascinated by the wealth of detail in the programmes and soon writing to the major European organising clubs (always including a Reply Paid coupon.) Surprisingly over 80% of my requests were answered and I had soon amassed an impressive collection of programmes from all of the star events: Le Mans, Mille Miglia, Targa Florio and even US meetings at Sebring and Indianapolis.

It was about 1956 when a package arrived with a programme for the Syracuse Grand Prix but also included was a large wall poster for the event. This was a revelation to me and I now turned my attention to this new collecting area and in a short time my bedroom walls were filled with posters from Nurburgring, Zandvoort and Avus.

As the '70s arrived I began to lose interest in the Grand Prix scene and found the cars less glamorous as the events became more and more professional and big money began to take over.

I was now married to a Kiwi and we left England to start a new life in Auckland. I still keep an interest in motor racing and have had much pleasure in seeking out early programmes from the New Zealand circuits like Ardmore and Teretonga.

And of course, I still have my walls filled with those magnificent posters!