Saying goodbye to one Mini is hard.
Saying goodbye to two, harder still.
Given my job has three elements - promoting exports from the UK to Germany, encouraging inward investment to the UK from Germany and showing the world we still make things - the Mini was the perfect promotional tool.
A car, built in the UK and then exported as a result of German (BMW) investment showing the world that we still make (rather excellent) things. Until today, I have driven one personally and we have also had, much more impressively, the GREAT Britain Mini. The lease on my Mini ended, so I have sadly handed that back. And the GREAT Britain Mini Tour has also come to an end. We have taken the beautiful Union Flag-emblazoned car on a journey across the UK to promote all the positive aspects of Britain. Launched by their Royal Highnesses Beatrice and Eugenie in front of the Bradenburg Gate , it has promoted UK culture, science, tourism and heritage.
The Prime Minister has driven it and so has the Jester from Leicester (the world snooker champion for those not in the know). It has been on a warship, up a couple of mountains and I even drove it to Munich's Oktoberfest in my lederhosen It has been a magnificent, dare I say, vehicle for our GREAT campaign and has received significant media coverage on and offline. But, for me, the best part (apart from the lederhosen) has been its use to support British exports and British companies. It has won publicity for Marks and Spencer - who have launched a German website and had their own British-branded bus here, been filled with crisps by Tyrell's and visited UK engineering giant GKN, who actually manufacture some of its parts - view the picture. We have sent it to trade fairs including Medica, Anuga and K and it has been allowed on runways to promote new flights to Germany for Easyjet and British Airways. One of the companies who have enjoyed it the most is Roundhouse, the manufacturer of circular livestock buildings. The pictures of the Mini and both the Roundhouse in North Western Germany and its inhabitants some (British) cows have been rather successful in drawing attention to this rather innovative product. The aim of the campaign was to promote the UK. The fact that some UK companies can point to the Mini as directly improving their export prospects is very much a bonus. And we are glad to have been able to help. I'd like to think we've also helped Mini themselves - they have had another record year for sales here.
So farewell to the GREAT Britain Mini.
And farewell to my personal Mini, which was also great in its own way.