ON July 13, Bill Drysdale unveiled his restored 1928 BMW Dixi at the new BMW showroom in Sofia Business Park.
Bill, a Scottish adviser in the Prime Minister’s office, discovered the car in Lozenets in 2003, in a “seriously dilapidated condition.” A passionate collector of old cars, he bought the car from its owner, a 93-year-old former captain in Tsar Boris III’s army, and organised a team of engineers and craftsmen, headed by Philip Stanimirov, manager of the Boyana Diplomatic Club, to restore the car to “the way it was when it left the BMW factory at Eisenach in Bavaria, 77 years ago.” 
Those attending the unveiling were invited to make a donation to the Balkan Children and Youth Foundation (BCYF), a non-government organisation which assists a wide range of under-privileged and socially deprived young people in Bulgaria and its neighbouring Balkan countries. Bill and his wife plan to take the Dixi on tour through other Balkan countries in September to attract funds for the BCYF.
The unveiling ceremony, attended by outgoing Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, doubled as a farewell from Bill to friends and colleagues in Bulgaria, as he is returning to his native Scotland, having spent most of the past eight years living and working here in Bulgaria. Bill was one of the only foreign members of staff in the Prime Minister’s office, where he worked as an adviser for the past two-and-a-half years. He first came to Bulgaria as a manager for accounting and consulting company KPMG. Bill was involved in the privatisation process in Bulgaria and in 1998 he co-founded the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) with the support of Prince Charles and thenpresident Petar Stoyanov. He took special responsibility for developing Corporate Social Responsibility in Bulgaria among BBLF members, emphasising the importance of the Business Ethics Standard.
Bill’s project with the Dixi brings together two of his passions: helping people and collecting old cars. The Bulgarian team who made his dream a reality by bringing the four-seater 750cc Saloon back its original condition with their “remarkable feat of workmanship”, were awarded individual certificates at the unveiling ceremony. A special surprise was also in store for Rafi Paran, Vice President of Kamor Auto, Bulgaria’s importers of Minis and BMWs, when he was presented with a birthday cake in the shape of a car, bearing the number plate “Sweet 60”.
He now hopes to benefit the lives of young people in the Balkans by raising money for the BCYF.

Founded in 2000, the BCYF is a “unique initiative aimed at improving the conditions and prospects for young people throughout the (Balkan) region,” with a range of projects, including:
· Integration through education for street children
· Language skills for children and youths from minority groups.
· Reduction of youth unemployment.
· Development of university careers centres.
· Training Roma youth in trades and professional skills
· Education on drug abuse, AIDS and personal health
· Junior Achievement- exposure of school children to the work environment and entrepreneurship.

Bill is discussing the possibility of visiting the principal BMW showrooms in Skopje, Belgrade, Dubrovnik and Zagreb to “show off the car at receptions for their customers and other distinguished local guests,” as part of the fund-raising tour.
On the way back to Scotland at the end of the year, Bill, his wife, and the Dixi have an invitation to visit BMW’s head office in Munich.

Contributions can be made through the
Bulgarian Charities Aid Foundation, contact elitsa@bcaf.org.
For more information about the BCYF, go to:
 www.balkanyouth.org, Tel: +389 2 3122 704