Hethel's Lotus F1 Charity Day Raises More Than £64,000 for Norfolk Hospice

The Classic Team Lotus F1 Show at Hethel last Saturday raised more than £64,000 for the Priscilla Bacon Hospice Charity, according to a report in the Eastern Daily Press. The event on 24 October marked 60 years of Lotus at Hethel, and had sold out well before the day.

Sixteen cars on the test track

The Eastern Daily Press reports that Classic Team Lotus mechanics prepared and ran 16 Lotus Formula 1 cars on the factory test track. The report does not list which cars ran, and the event’s own site has not yet published a post-event update, so we will not guess at the line-up. The pre-event programme promised Formula 1 cars “through the decades”.

The weather was difficult both in the build-up and on the day itself, the report says, but the event went ahead and went well. Anyone who has stood on an exposed Norfolk airfield in late October will not need that explained.

Lotus also opened the Emira production line to visitors, which gave ticket holders a look at how the current car is put together in the same buildings that have produced every Lotus road car since 1966.

Where the money goes

All admission proceeds were going to the Priscilla Bacon Hospice, which provides palliative and end-of-life care across Norfolk. Tickets were capped at 1,200 adult places, with no sales on the gate, and the day sold out. The hospice still accepts donations directly if you missed out.

Sixty years at Hethel

Lotus moved from Cheshunt to the former RAF airfield at Hethel in 1966, and the runways and perimeter roads became the test track used here. Our Lotus history guide covers the move and what followed, and the famous Lotus cars guide has the background on the Formula 1 cars that made the name.

If you were there, or you are planning a visit to the area, the Hethel and Norfolk loop links the factory with Snetterton and the north Norfolk coast. Expect wet leaves and mud on the lanes through November, and drive to the conditions.

What comes next

We have not seen a repeat date announced by Classic Team Lotus or Lotus. We will add any future dates to our events page once they are confirmed by the organisers.

Sources: Eastern Daily Press via Yahoo News, 30 October 2026, Lotus F1 Charity Day official site.