The broadcaster and car enthusiast, best known for presenting Top Gear and The Grand Tour, spoke at St Michael’s Hospice Classic Car Show and Open Garden in Bartestree.
Held on July 5, the event took on personal significance for Mr Hammond, whose father was cared for by the hospice before he died.
Richard Hammond at the St Michael’s Hospice classic car show on Sunday, July 5, 2026 (Image: Submitted)
He addressed the crowds during the event, thanking car owners who exhibited their vehicles and reflecting on the meaning behind the show.
Thanking everyone who took a car, Hammond said: “It’s just amazing. I think you need to be really proud. I’ve been to a lot of car shows, but this is one curated by you, there’s no theme whatsoever.
“It’s wonderful to see the MX5 clubs so well represented, well done, guys, and the Minis as well – some absolute crackers out there.
“But above all else, just a fabulous random gathering of cars filled with joy, stories of multi-generational cars that have been treasured and passed down generation to generation.”
Richard Hammond sat behind his 1963 Opel Kadett, affectionately named Oliver, at the St Michael’s Hospice classic car show (Image: Submitted)
He said cars were “about life, about living, about doing all the things you want to do” – an appropriate message for a hospice fundraiser.
“Like a lot of people here, I have personal experience of the astonishing work that happens at St Michael’s, a place that, as is said often by the team here, that’s about living, it really is,” the 56-year-old said.
“Every example I’ve seen, and that I know you will have seen, of the astonishing depth of compassion, sympathy, empathy, understanding, just humanity.
“I’ve chatted to people here today who’ve experienced that recently and can see what it means. And in every conversation, you see that afresh.”
Richard Hammond’s Ford Mustang 390GT at the St Michael’s Hospice classic car show (Image: Submitted)
He said that friends of the hospice, like himself, must remember the staff who care for patients week in, week out.
“It’s worth a round of applause now to remember that astonishing work,” he added.
The event included a public display of his much-loved cars, including Oliver, the 1963 Opel Kadett made famous during the Top Gear Botswana special.
He also brought a 2026 Morgan and a 1968 Ford Mustang 390GT, a car he has owned for two decades.
The Smallest Cog, Mr Hammond’s car restoration company based in Rotherwas, also displayed his 1971 Buick Riviera.
St Michael’s Hospice is an independent charity providing free palliative and end-of-life care across Herefordshire and surrounding areas.
Its services include an inpatient unit, day hospice, and hospice at home care.
The charity relies on community fundraising and donations, with the NHS covering less than 30 per cent of its daily running costs.