Latest news with #fatherandson
Auto Car
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
All Minors, no majors: Learning to drive in a 57-year-old Morris
Learning to drive in a classic car can be a very shrewd choice – and it could well make you a better driver too You can keep your Fiestas, this is a far cooler car for learning to drive in Close There's a Morris Minor fan near where I live. He has a Traveller on his drive and a saloon on the road outside that doesn't appear to have moved for some time because there's an eco system developing underneath it. Then a few weeks ago, while cycling past Hampton Court Palace, I saw what looked like the saloon motoring along the A308 in the direction of the M3. An impressive turnaround in fortune for a car that, I suspected, might never run again. Except this wasn't that Morris Minor. This one was being driven by a young-looking lad who, from the presence of an L-plate front and back, appeared to be learning to drive in it. A few days later, I spotted the car parked outside the local doctor's surgery. Further detective work revealed that the blue 1968 Morris Minor 1000 is the pride and joy of father Ed Wilson and his son Patrick. Patrick is 17 years old and has been learning to drive over the past four months. First, if you believe the mass media, no youngsters are learning to drive these days, and second, if they are, they're not likely to be learning in a 57-year-old classic. I found the sight of young Patrick in his Morris Minor rather heart-warming. So, Ed, why isn't junior learning to drive in something more modern? Something a bit more conventional like a Volkswagen Polo or Ford Fiesta? 'Money,' says Ed. 'At least that's the primary reason.' I'd heard via word of mouth that insuring young people to drive a classic car was far cheaper than for a modern car. That turned out to be true because Patrick, who is the policy holder on the Minor, with dad as a named driver, pays only £120 per year. "That's for limited mileage, and only 1000 miles at that, but that's adequate for us as we don't go very far from home,' says Ed. 'And although the premium will rise once he's passed his test, it will still be far cheaper than for a modern car.' Why a Morris Minor? 'Well, my grandfather had one,' says Ed, 'which added some appeal. We looked at a Traveller but the woodwork was really rotten so we gave that one a miss. Then we spotted this saloon that was for sale for £1500. "As you can see, the paintwork is very dull and there is some surface rust in places, but structurally it's pretty sound. The other advantage of this car is that it's ULEZ-exempt, which is an important factor when you're on a tight budget.' Ed learned to drive at the age of 25 in a Ford Fiesta, a rather more sophisticated car than the Moggie. 'It took me a while to adjust to driving the Minor,' he says, 'but Patrick picked it up quicker than me.' Patrick says: 'Most of my friends are learning to drive, but nobody is driving a car as old as ours. They haven't commented much on the Morris but my sister Poppy reckons that it's a really cool car.' Even for Ed, the Morris has features he had not encountered before. Such as a foot-operated dip switch. 'I've never owned a car with a manual choke,' he says, 'which has taken some mastering.' But it's not what the car has: it's what it hasn't that makes it interesting for a learner driver. Like synchromesh on first gear. 'I've had to learn to think ahead,' says Patrick. 'I only drive the car in town but even so I have to think carefully when I'm coming up to a junction or making a manoeuvre. I don't think I'd like to drive it on a motorway as it's not fast enough and other traffic would be intimidating. I'll be taking my test in a modern car.' There's no question in my mind that Patrick will be a better driver for learning in such an analogue car with no distractions. He'll be picking up skills that will be of great use to him throughout his driving life even if he does migrate to a modern car that will help steer and park for him, spot pedestrians and carry out emergency stops. What did I learn in? A Morris Minor 1000 Traveller. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here. Next Prev In partnership with
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Father-son duo claim second state championship
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WMBB)— Not many high school baseball players can say they've won a state championship with their father as their coach, but Holmes County senior Colby Powell can now say he's done it twice. Holmes County has storybook finish to State Championship Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Simon Cowell gives a rare insight into his family album as he shares pitures of his lookalike son Eric, 11, during sun-soaked dog walk
Simon Cowell looked happier than ever on Sunday as he sweetly hugged lookalike son Eric during a sun-soaked dog walk. The music mogul, 65, shared rare snaps of his 11-year-old son with his 2.7million followers as they posed with their German Shepherd dog. The father and son duo rocked similar outfits for the outing, both donning dark T-shirts with Simon opting for a pair of black tracksuit bottoms while Eric donned black shorts and Nikes trainers. The Britain's Got Talent judge, who shares Eric with his wife Lauren Silverman, wore his signature aviator sunglasses as he beamed and hugged the youngster. Simon and Eric were also seen crouching down petting their adorable pet pooch and the TV star was seen holding a ball in his hand. He wrote: '1. Love, 2. Even more love, 3. It was a long walk'. In December last year, Simon showed his competitive side as he enjoyed a swimming race with his son Eric. The TV judge took to Instagram as he shared a rare video of the pair as they took to the pool to go head to head. Eric secured the victory as he exclaimed: 'I win I win', before celebrating and ordering his dad out of the shot. Talking to the camera, Simon joked: 'Well that was difficult but it was worth it,' as Eric boasted: 'I won, I won, get out the picture, I won.' The music mogul looked to be enjoying an escape from the UK winter as he donned a pair of stylish shades in the sunny pool. Simon teased in the caption: 'I still think I won! Love, Simon x'. It comes after Simon shared his fears about his finances despite being thought of as one of the wealthiest men in showbiz thanks to his illustrious career in the music industry. He admitted that he hasn't made 'anywhere near as much money' as people think, as told the How To Fail podcast: 'I always worry about money'. The BGT boss said he worries because the world is 'so precarious' he never feels relaxed about how much money he has. The father of one recalled how during the early days of the Covid pandemic he pushed out all of his projects early over fears that they would be halted. He said: 'I always worry about money because I think you have to in a way. You think about Covid as an example. 'I remember reading it for the first time on a website, and I don't read a lot of stuff on social media, but I'd heard about it, so I was curious. 'Second day, the story got bigger to a point where I actually phoned my partner and I said "I don't like the look of this, I have a horrible feeling it's going to be like that movie Contagion, and I think we need to get all of our shows into production around the world quicker this year". And we did. 'And when it happened it was obviously worse than I could have imagined, 'When you think about that, the wars, and everything else, the instability, what is safe? Is it gold, cash, stocks. I don't think anything's safe any longer. I guess your house. 'Someone did actually say to me once "live in your money". And it was really good advice, i.e, enjoy it, and be happy with it, but understand that the world is precarious.' Simon denied he's worth anywhere near the £500 million figure that's been reported. He said: 'Oh God, it's not that. I'm not even close to that. I'm being serious. I'm not. 'I've made a lot, I'm not going to lie. I've made a bit of money, yes, but not that much, no.' He said he'd even recently had to ask friends if they would help him to start on a project he wanted to work on because he didn't have enough money. It comes after Simon shared his fears about his finances despite being thought of as one of the wealthiest men in showbiz thanks to his illustrious career in the music industry (pictured April 2025) He said: 'My friends have been great. I did something recently where I just didn't have the money to pay people to help me. 'So I seriously had to say to about 20 people "I'm making something and I really don't have any money, but would you help me?" 'And they all said "yes". And that was the most incredible thing.' However despite opening up about his money fears, Simon said he would still classify himself as 'rich' when asked, he said: 'Probably yes'. Simon downsized his company SyCo to 'focus on family' and says he no longer feels the need to make as much money, claiming that nobody he knows who is 'super rich' is happy. While his ITV talent show is still a raging success attracting around five million viewers each episode, Simon has wound down some of his other projects. The X Factor ran for 14 years, from 2004 to 2018, but Simon decided to call it quits on the long-running show due to declining viewing figures and a belief that online platforms like YouTube were taking over the need for talent shows. The musical mogul had excitedly announced a bid to find the next big boyband - claiming there hadn't been one as big as 1D since - and launched a Netflix series, The Midas Touch. But Simon's latest project was scrapped, seemingly due to lack of interest when he failed to get enough talent auditioning to become 'the next One Direction'. Simon's slow wind down has come in recent years as he bids to focus more on his partner Lauren, with whom he shares son Eric, 11. The TV personality also stepped away from the limelight in August 2020 when he broke his back during an E-bike accident while testing it at his Malibu home. He underwent six hours of surgery and claimed at a later date that it was 'much worse than people first thought'. He suffered a second horrific accident on the electronic bikes when he broke his arm in London while riding one in 2022.
The Sun
07-05-2025
- The Sun
Boy, 8, and man savaged by ‘greyhound' at park in horror attack sparking urgent police hunt for owner
AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy and his father have been injured after being bitten by a greyhound-like dog in a park. Investigations are ongoing to trace the dog's owner following the savage attack. The horror incident unfolded at 1pm in Southfields Park, Loughborough. LeicstershireLive reports that the father and son were in the park when they saw a man sitting on a bench with a dog similar to a greyhound. They asked if the pet was friendly before approaching. But the dog shockingly bit both of them. Leicestershire Police said they received minor injuries. The pair were taken to hospital for treatment. Police are trying to track down the dog's owner and have asked the public for help. Anyone with any information should call PC 942 Will Lacey on 101, quoting crime number 25*230663. Alternatively, report information on the force's website. The Sun has contacted the force for further information. 2
