The First Ford Transit Owners Club

It was an historic moment when BBC Radio 2 Presenter, Sarah Kennedy, coined the phrase "white van man". Love them or hate them, thanks to Sarah they have become part of the English language and a way of life on British roads. To mark her contribution to the van industry and with a sweet irony, the first Ford Transit Owners Club has made her its honorary president.

On receiving her presidency from the cab of a van, Sarah said: "As president, I shall be keeping an extra-beady eye out for White Van Man antics!"

Peter Lee has founded the Owners Club to mark 40 years of success of the Ford Transit; the only van in Britain to have been a market leader its entire lifetime. He said: "Due to my van archives and collections of thousands of models, I have always had dealings with van owners and the commercial vehicle team at Ford. Over the years, I must have been asked 1000 times whether an Owners Club existed. Transit's 40th birthday this year has confirmed that I am not alone in my passion for the van. To have Sarah as our honorary president is a double whammy for all things that are wonderful and British!"