MPs have discussed the plight of Coventry Bees in Parliament after the devastating news the club has been banned from the League this season, with the club’s future in jeopardy.
Rugby Conservative MP Mark Pawsey, who is backing this newspaper’s Save Our Bees campaign, said the Bees were discussed this week by the all-party Parliamentary Speedway group he leads. It includes MPs and others who are interested in and support the motor sport.
He said: “We had a chat about the situation in Coventry.
“As things stand, I am very disappointed. But the one thing I came away with was that there’s an incredible goodwill towards Coventry and the idea of keeping something going at Brandon.
“One of the things that’s going to be happening is that Coventry fixtures are being arranged to help our riders of Coventry to come together and keep the Coventry name going (as revealed by the Coventry Observer last week).
“That keeps things alive and let’s hope that, while that’s going on, we can have negotiations that will get the speedway back to its home in Brandon.
“It’s been there since the 1920s and it’s part of our community. I want to see speedway return there.”
Dedicated fans of Coventry speedway turned out in force at the Coventry Stadium in Brandon last Friday to support The Coventry Observer’s Save Our Bees campaign.
Following Bees’ axe from the SGB Premiership, fans have been left devastated with no team to support following almost nine decades of speedway history at Coventry Stadium.
Since the last chequered flag fell in October last year, Bees fans have been unsure about the club’s long-term or short-term future, following a bitter off-season dispute between stadium owners Brandon Estates Ltd, Bees owner Mick Horton and Coventry Stox.
It was hoped the Bees could continue racing at Leicester, but that proposal fell apart.
The club now has no venue to race and has been kicked out of the sport’s top tier, with the British Speedway Promoters’ Association saying it had to protect other clubs and the integrity of the forthcoming League season from Bees’ uncertainly over the ability to fulfill their fixtures, their stadium and other financial issues.
Two away ‘challenge’ fixtures against Peterborough and Wolverhampton were confirmed last week, with campaigners hoping to confirm more dates in the future to keep Bees’ name on track.
