Chelsea pensioners in the fast lane

Lucas has facilitated a dream trip for three Chelsea Pensioners with a visit to the McLaren headquarters in Surrey.

We are working with Mace on a project just close by the Royal Chelsea Hospital, so our Executive Chairman and Managing Director Danny Lucas thought it highly appropriate to be able to organise a visit for three pensioners to see our technology partner and experience a little of the glamour of Formula 1. Jonathan Toms of Mace also joined us.

And what a great day for us and the three Chelsea Pensioners, Don Avery, Ken McDonald and Alan Rutter. Don said the hospitality and tour were “out of this world.” Ken said “McLaren is a spectacular place with amazing people.” Alan described the trip as “one of the best I’ve had since becoming a Chelsea Pensioner.

Don served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and in Libya and Germany. Ken was in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and spent time in Cyprus and Germany. Alan served in the Middlesex Regiment and also the Queen’s Regiment, mainly in Germany but he also undertook tours to Cyprus and Northern Ireland. All three completed 20 years in the Army.

The pensioners were equally delighted to meet two old hands at McLaren, Ray “Tex” Rowe and Neil Trundle.

Ray has worked for McLaren from the very beginning in the mid-1960s when mechanics were asked to take on a wide range of engineering jobs. He still puts in an impressive two days a week shift.

Neil was McLaren’s chief mechanic in the late 1980s when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost dominated the racing circuits. He now looks after McLaren’s historic collection of racing cars.

Neil said: “It was a pleasure and an honour to meet the guys, and they seemed to know their stuff on F1. What a great bunch of men who obviously served their country well, and how nice that we were able to host them.”