Matthew Boddington

Engineer, aircraft constructor and restorer, air-worthiness inspector and display pilot, Matthew has been involved with vintage aviation since childhood.  His father was a pilot with the Barnstormers Flying Circus and built and flew replica aircraft for several films.  Matthew flew with him in early childhood and, after his father was killed in a flying accident, Matthew has devoted his life to building, restoring and flying vintage aircraft.  Based at Sywell Aerodrome he is the "go to" engineer for advice and expertise.

After leaving college, Matthew worked for Sloane Aviation and gained his pilot's licence in 1986 when working for Sywell Aviation Services and then as a Civil Aviation Authority engineer for March Helicopters.

During this time he flew Austers and the Miles Messenger G-AKIN and restored and ferried Chipmunks, Tiger Moths, the Gipsy Moth and flew the Harvard.  He also rebuilt the Comper-Swift G-ABUS.

His opportunity to fly WW1 aircraft replicas started with the Fokker Dreidecker and he later became involved The Great War Display Team in 2008, flying his father's BE-2C - the Biggles Biplane.  The BE-2C had been badly damaged in an accident in 1977 in America.  It was rediscovered in 2005, shipped back to England, and Matthew spent 6 years restoring it to flight.  He flew the Biggles Biplane on many occasions with the GWDT.  Following a near fatal accident in the BE-2C in 2020, Matthew made a remarkable recovery and has since restored to flight and displayed the Avro 504K replica and, with his son Charlie, he is now rebuilding the BE-2C.

Highly thought of throughout the vintage aircraft world, Matthew's dedication, expertise and continued lifetime commitment to the restoration of vintage aircraft, make him a worthy recipient of the NTT's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Richard Peskett

Richard has been involved in the study and restoration of early motor vehicles, particularly commercial vehicles, for 60 years, beginning when the restoration movement for such vehicles was in its very early stages.  At that time there were still people with knowledge and experience of maintaining and operating vehicles pre- WWI, and Richard was able to "download", as we would say today, this information and record it to the benefit of his own and others' restorations

He learned that 'preservation and proper conservation require a thorough understanding of the machine, its design and the limitations of the technology available as well as the materials, workshop facilities and legislation of their time.

Richard initially concentrated on refurbishing significant vehicles of the early period, often from near derelict condition.  His results were widely admired, frequently achieving premier awards at major events and attracting interest from major institutions and collectors.  He became a professional restorer and quickly built a powerful team to put to use his research and knowledge.

Richard has built a notable archive of research material and photographs.  He has served on the National Motor Museum Advisory Council for many years and has supplemented the Museum's reference library collections.

In recent years his conservation skills have primarily been concentrated on cars from the early veteran period with clients worldwide and examples of his conservation work are on display in several continental motor museums.

His writing has contributed to the dissemination of knowledge of early vehicles via enthusiast magazines and via vehicle preservation club publications, including compiling the programme for the annual Historic Commercial Vehicle Run from London to Brighton, and he has recently secured a home for the archive of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.  A lifelong dedication.

Richard Sozanski

Richard joined the Hillman Imp Club in 1992 and quite quickly became one of those Club members who would get things organised. 

Taking over as Events Secretary in 1992, and then also as Public Relations Officer, Richard delivered award-winning exhibition stands for the Club for some 32 years, with fabulously themed displays, created by endless imagination, effort and ingenuity, rather than large budget.

He actively encouraged younger generations to bring their Imps to events and join in keeping the marque and the wider classic car movement alive.

Richard brought together a community of Rootes engineers, drivers, managers and Imp enthusiasts worldwide, creating fabulous events such as IMP 40 & 50 where so many of the original Rootes teams were brought back together.

He even persuaded the original designers, Tim Fry and Bob Saward to provide new artwork for Imp 40, celebrating their memories of the creation of a small car that still brings joy all these years later.

During this time he even managed to find time to restore, maintain and drive his own Hillman Imps, the first of which he bought in 1968, and he subsequently owned 4, the family in total owns 7.  His son Antoni tended to do the welding part of the restorations, because, as a professional electrician, Richard disliked sparks.

It would be difficult to find anyone who has dedicated more time, effort and soul to "Keeping the Imp Alive".

Ill health finally obliged him to stand down from club responsibilities, and I am sad to say that ill health overcame him and he died at the end of July this year.  By that he time he was aware of this award and delighted that his contribution had been recognised.  Richard's award was received by his son, daughter and grandchildren on his behalf.