A town remembers as classic cars line Taunton High Street
Taunton came together at the weekend to pay tribute to the man behind a small but striking motor museum and to leave a practical legacy in the town centre. The founder of the County Classics Motor Museum, Patrick Hawkins, who opened the venue in 2023 with former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond at the ribbon-cutting, died aged 68 on 6 August 2025 after suffering from a heart defect. Friends, colleagues and enthusiasts marked his memory with a classic car gathering and the installation of a public defibrillator on Taunton’s High Street.
The event, named informally as "Patrick Day", drew a variety of vintage vehicles, including Hawkins’s favourite: a Ford Capri Mark 1 3-litre GT XLR, which those close to him believe may be one of the oldest surviving examples of that model. The gathering was organised by museum staff and supporters as both a celebration of Hawkins’s life and an opportunity to raise funds towards something the town could use should an emergency arise.
“He would hate we’ve called it Patrick Day, he never sought the limelight. But if he was still here, I can tell you he would absolutely love it.”
This was how Tim York, curator of the museum, described Hawkins’s reaction had he seen the turnout. Colleagues paid particular tribute to Hawkins’s long-standing passion for cars, which began when he bought and sold his first vehicle at the age of 11 and later developed into a career as a motor trader and museum founder.
Defibrillator installed and businesses to be trained
The memorial fund raised by friends and supporters has paid for a public access defibrillator to be installed on Taunton High Street. The device, implemented at a cost of £1,705, was unveiled by Mayor Bev Fernandes, who said that further defibrillators were always welcome and that Hawkins would have been pleased by the outcome. Local businesses will be offered training on how to use the new kit so it can be deployed effectively in an emergency.
A volunteer from the Great Western Air Ambulance, Josh Bell, described the defibrillator as “massively needed” in Taunton and said it formed a “fantastic legacy” for the museum founder. The decision to invest the memorial funds in a life-saving device emphasised the community-minded approach taken by the museum team and Hawkins’s friends.
Why this matters for Taunton
Small gestures in our town — a ribbon-cutting three years ago, a favourite car parked in the High Street, a piece of equipment bolted to a wall — matter because they knit together heritage, safety and the local economy. The County Classics Motor Museum is a relatively new cultural addition to Taunton’s offering, and events such as this bring visitors into the town centre, support nearby shops and strengthen volunteer networks.
- Memorial event: Classic car gathering dubbed "Patrick Day"
- Defibrillator: Installed on Taunton High Street, cost £1,705, funded in memory of Patrick Hawkins
- Training: Local businesses to be shown how to use the new device
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Museum opening | 2023 (with Richard Hammond at ribbon-cutting) |
| Founder | Patrick Hawkins (died 6 August 2025, aged 68) |
| Defibrillator cost | £1,705 |
| Location | Taunton High Street |
For many in Taunton the story is both poignant and practical. Hawkins’s determination and the will of those closest to him turned grief into something that can help strangers in future emergencies. The museum remains a fixture of local interest, and the newly installed defibrillator stands as a visible reminder of how small communities can respond to loss by strengthening public safety.
As summer moves on, the sight of classic cars on our streets and a piece of life-saving equipment on the High Street will be an enduring, and fitting, mark of a man who loved automobiles and the people who appreciate them.
