Mini Club's Morelli's Italian Ice Cream Job revs back to the Port

Pictured at the launch event are (from left) Jack Cassidy, MD JKC Mini; Brian Moore, compere; Mr Morrelli; Arnaldo Morelli, sponsor; David McKelvey, JKC Mini. Kneeling - Jimmy Callan and Andy Shaw, Causeway Coast Mini Club.

The Causeway Coast Mini Club are a bunch of enthusiasts who hold monthly meetings at the Brown Trout Inn at Aghadowey and they have put all their energies into running this show.

The Club will hold their traditional run from Bushmills to Portstewart on the Saturday night and will be on site from early morning on Sunday, August 27 to prepare for the public event at the new venue of the West Strand in Portrush.

This year, their chosen charity is the NI Hospice and the club are delighted with the support they have received with prizes for the raffle including a £100 shopping voucher from Morellis, a voucher from The Anchor Complex in Portstewart and a full tool kit worth approximately £600 from MiniSport.

Admission to the event is absolutely free. There will be food stalls, merchandise stands, music and craic hosted by compere Brian Moore.

Event sponsors are Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Morelli’s, JKC Mini Coleraine and Mini Sport.

The event began back in 200 when a BT Engineer called Tommy Finlay persuaded those in authority to allow him to launch this event based on the famous film ‘The Italian Job’.

Back then the route for the minis started at the Dunluce Centre, across West Bay, the Promenade, up towards Kerr Street, across the harbour foot bridge, out to Ramore Head, towards the green shelter past a number of large chimney pots (the roof scene from the film), across Landsdowne, Causeway View (where there was another ramp, to depict the tunnel from the film), up Main Street, past the Salmon Fishery, down a ramp that was built down over the steps to the Arcadia paddling pool, up Causeway Street and back again to the Dunluce Centre.