Denis Biggerstaff has raised over £10,000 for local charity, Angel Wishes, via The Barn Museum with the help of his wife, Anne, their family, and close friend, Trevor Barlow.
And of course, this substantial figure would not have been raised without each and every donation from those who received a tour of this fabulous barn which opened around 12 months ago, after a set of photos taken by John O’Neill went viral.
With a need for new storage for his unique motorsport collection, which has been in the making since 1977, the idea of a traditional old fashioned barn came to fruition thanks to friend and builder, Trevor Barlow.
It was a few years in the making, but on visiting with friends for a tour at the end of November, the hard work and somewhat mad ideas that became a reality are nothing short of stunning. Amidst old petrol pumps, train station clocks, and lights from an old ship, are car parts such as a wheel and pistons from both a 6R4 and Impreza that are inset into the external walls of The Barn.
Inside, when chatting to Biggerstaff who is relaxed in an Oxblood Chesterfield chair overlooking his collection, his love of the American Wild West is apparent with his collection of Stetson hats and some Western memorabilia.
The walls of the cosy den, as well as the main vehicle area of the museum, are covered in rare or damaged car parts, vintage automotive signs, and imagery giving a pictorial history of Denis’ and son, Stuart’s, rallying careers.
What is Angel Wishes?
Angel Wishes is a local charity that supports all children and their families throughout Northern Ireland with cancer related conditions. The registered charity was set up in 2016 in memory of two children, Helen aged 3 and Brian aged 10, who both sadly passed away with cancer related conditions.
“If your child is diagnosed with a cancer-related condition, your world is thrown into turmoil,” Denis said. “We felt this was a worthwhile local charity for us to support as 100% of all proceeds raised through donations to Angel Wishes go directly into supporting the families.”
Posting on Facebook on 15 December 2024, Denis Biggerstaff stated:
“Well here we are folks, we are proud to present your donations to a great lady (Gay) of Angel Wishes. £10,619.
“Did you know that (unlike a lot of charities) there are no expenses or costs in her charity work?
“What a lady who looks after around 400 very ill children and uses every penny donated, to help the affected families.
“Thanks to our 12-year-old granddaughter, Evie, for our presentation painting. Thanks to all our guests for your kind donations, especially Claragh Bridge Vintage Club for your £1,000 donation which took us over our £10k target.
“Your Hosts, Denis, Anne, Trevor, Lesley Ann, Trudie and Stuart.”
So What’s In The Barn?
More than you could ever imagine! Denis lets go of nothing, hence the vast amount of trophies, damaged panels, and motoring artifacts and models around the walls of The Barn. When placed in a setting like this, it is truly magical. For many years, Denis has hoarded what some people would have seen as scrap but it was meant to be for the museum.
Car wise, a total of four Metro 6R4s can be seen inside. Two of which, perched in the loft, include the GB1 rallycross winning shell, and the ‘Barbados Metro’ which was coach built by Denis ahead of competing at the 2001 Barbados Rally Carnival. It was lowered, and lengthened by two inches to aid stability for the warm sealed roads of the world-famous Island event.
A Computervision liveried 6R4 is one that Denis has used for most of his career, but it is a shell tucked in the back corner of The Barn that is most intriguing. Bought by Denis in 1988 and used for around two years, it is one of 18 works rally cars built, just one of three prototype chassis, and the only prototype developed to ‘Evo 3’ guise.
That car is Metro 6R4 Chassis 001 which was built by Sir Frank Williams Racing Team. The renowned F1 team principal was involved in the design and development of the MG Metro 6R4, one of the most famous Group B rally cars in the world. Once brought back to life, I do hope to report on it as a stand-alone article.
Denis once owned and campaigned the first Subaru Impreza WRC chassis but the former Colin McRae car was traded in against a 2003 S9 WRC Subaru that’s now displayed in The Barn.
After years of fun in this car for both Denis and Stuart, it was stripped back and restored to its former glory as per the time that Petter Solberg drove it on his way to winning the 2003 World Rally Championship.
2003 transpired to be Solberg’s sole world title winning year, and he drove this very car on Rally Catalunya and Rally Deutschland that year, before running with Number 1 on the door during the 2004 Rally Monte-Carlo, becoming the only S9 WRC car to do so.
There is also a former German fire van, in Rally Engineering Development livery as used for service vans by the RED team when they ran a fleet of Metro 6R4s. It sits behind a fully restored Series 1 Land Rover owned by a friend of the family.
The last vehicle on display is a Morris Mini Cooper S that is owned and rallied by friend, builder of The Barn, and The Barn’s tour guide, Trevor Barlow.
Who Is Denis Biggerstaff?
The answer to that is fairly simple. Also known as The Metro Man, 72-year-old Denis filled several trophy cabinets in the early ‘90s thanks to his pursuits in a Metro 6R4 on Northern Ireland Speed Events as well as the British Rallycross Championship.
Biggerstaff’s first championship win in the Metro 6R4 came in 1991, when he took the Northern Ireland Sprint Championship. From 1990 to 1994, Denis claimed a total of five Modified Saloon class championships within the sprint scene.
Winning the Northern Ireland Hillclimb Championship in 1992, Denis again took a total of five Modified Saloon titles, the first of which was in 1990, and then from 1992 to 1995.
His greatest and hardest fought accolade was standing on the top step of the rostrum at the end 1992 British Rallycross Championship, beating the crème de la crème of the sport and placing the coveted ‘GB1’ number on the door of his Metro.
A focus on stage rallying also proved highly successful for the Kinallen man, as he became a two-time Northern Ireland Rally Champion, taking the title in both 1999 and 2001. His son, Stuart, then went on to win the championship in 2010, following in his father’s footsteps.
To arrange a visit, Denis and Anne can be contacted by e-mail via bicksbarn@hotmail.com.
