Almost 25 years ago two members of the British Car Club met at Transfer Beach for a picnic. That small gathering, over the past generation, has turned into one of the largest gatherings of British and European vehicles in the province.
What has come to be called Brits On The Beach not only benefits car enthusiasts and spectators but is a huge benefactor for the Ladysmith Food Bank.
“It has grown many times more than what was expected," said Julie McKay, 2025 chair of the event. "The location makes it an ideal spot for our members and car owners, but it’s also an ideal area for spectators. It’s wide open, lots of trees and the ocean background, it’s all amazing.”
This year would have been the 25th year, but the group had to shut down for a few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Next year will be our 20th anniversary of Brits on the Beach in Ladysmith,” McKay said.
Eliina Alle, co-ordinator for the Ladysmith Food Bank, said “this could not have come at a better time. August was slower, somewhat, but with children back to school the need for the food bank has picked up.”
The local food bank assists between 499 and 852 households every month.
“March was our highest number of clients," Alle said. "If we average 600 to 700 households then that works out to around 1,300 to 1,700 individuals that are fed each month.”
The Brits on the Beach has taken the Ladysmith Food Bank under their wing, as members wanted to be part of making a difference.
"Ladysmith has been good to us and the people are great, so we felt that this way would be our efforts in giving back,” McKay said.
The Brits event attracted 185 vehicles this year, which was an increase over the previous year. As far as future years, McKay said they've already set aside the third Sunday of July to be back at Transfer Beach next year.
"We love it here and folks are getting to know us and they know that we want to help so yes, we’ll back back in 2026," she said.
Alle said the $3,100 donation from the British Car Club will enable the food bank to supply all its clients with baked products, such as bread and buns, for a month.
“We spend almost $1,875 month on eggs alone,” Alle said. “We are fortunate that we get almost 3,000 pounds of fresh produce from the community garden at Kiwi Cove. They are very good to us and the volunteers there contribute a lot.”
Locally the food bank gets some help from the Loaves and Fishes organization out of Nanaimo, but Alle said most times they don’t know what they’re bringing down.
“It’s whatever they have excess of. We’re grateful for anything because we really need it,” she said.
According to Food Banks Canada the rate of food insecurity has reached an all-time high going from 18.4 per cent two years ago to 25.5 per cent in 2025. Locally, the Ladysmith Food Bank has about 40 volunteers. What is needed now is non-perishable items such as rice, pasta, tins of tomatoes, sauces, tinned vegetables, and tinned meats. The food bank clients also require personal hygiene items such as toilet paper, hand soap and shampoo, feminine products, etc.
