Two years later than planned, the final Deva Dubs n Rods was held at West Mids Showground, Shrewsbury. The show was due to take place in 2020, but as with everything planned for 2020… COVID did its thing.

The organisers of the show didn’t want to disappear without a last hurrah, so it was bumped from 2020 and again in 2021. We finally got the go-ahead for 2022.

Quiet Trade Areas

We headed to the show straight from work, so we got there a little bit later than the other traders. What surprised me when we arrived was the number of gaps in what has usually been a very busy trade field. I guess that the years of delays in holding the show has seen too many traders suffer from the consequences of lockdowns and a lack of trade opportunities. Or, it could have been that there were 6 other events over the same weekend.

We met up with Melita, Stuart, Amelia and their dog Clara who had already set up camp on our trade plot. They were joining us for the weekend to display their Herbie Bug and help out on the club stall. We’d never met before, but they quickly got stuck in and it was like we’d known each other for years!

A Happy Balance – Cars & Party

Deva Dubs n Rods has always been a happy balance between a car show and a party weekend. This year was no different. With great live entertainment in the marquee, the evenings certainly had a traditional deva party atmosphere.

The car show side of things was awesome too. Deva Dubs n Rods does exactly what it says in its name… Dubs n Rods, plenty of VWs with a healthy dose of Hot Rods too. Saturday sees a show field full of ‘daily-driver’ cars and Sunday swaps them out with immaculate show cars.

We were in for a treat again this year. An awesome lineup of VWs and trick Rods. There’s a unique blend of styles on display. Bugs, Trekkers, Transporters, Golfs, V8s, Sleds and Pick-Ups… everything you can think of.

Bittersweet End to Deva Dubs

A bittersweet weekend for us. The show was typically fantastic, but we’re sad that we’ll never experience Deva Dubs n Rods again.

Photos: Amelia Worswick
Words: Andy Hayward