Unfortunately there were a number of cancellations for this rally. Those unable to make it missed a great week. We had our own mini Chelsea with Betty’s cactus blooming and what a bloom, huge like a dahlia, so there was quite a procession to view it.

Sue was impressed with Geoff as he nearly behaved himself. No visit from Elvis or any of his other friends, we assume it won’t last!

The social aspect was well received and attended. Flag was on Friday evening due to some ralliers departing Saturday morning. Jim Barnicot did the honours at flag, talking about Jim – turn right off the rally field, Swanage 8 miles! Turn left about 20 miles. Anyone want to lend Jim and Holly a compass?

I can’t end this report without mentioning our Marshals Gerry and Betty. Nobody would have realised this was their first rally. Well done both of you! I for one can’t wait for your next one. So, with a great pair of Marshals, great company, weather and site to die for, what more could anybody want?

Another lovely rally at Flamborough run by Susan and Peter backed up by Graham and Joan. The majority of the thirty vans arrived on Thursday and all received a very warm and sunny reception. Coffee at the Marshals van Thursday night was different to normal as we had all to take our own tea and coffee as the boiler had not arrived.

Friday night was better as Susan and Peter arranged flasks of hot water, where all the flasks came from was quite a surprise, but all went well. Peter Turner arrived with the boiler etc so all was well.

On Saturday a lovely meal was enjoyed on the field and Alf, Joyce and Lynda Holliday were presented with their 200th Rally Plaque by Peter Turner. Most enjoyed a fish and chip meal on Thursday at the W.I. Hall in the village. Another fine meal was enjoyed the following Saturday also in the W.I. Hall.

Poor weather was forecast but true to form the weather was good. Sunday at flag prizes were presented for all the quizzes. A raffle was held with the proceeds going to the Child Care Charity. A table of cards and candles were for sale for the MacMillan Nurses which also did very well.

There was a very important celebration for Malcolm, Margaret and Paul Jagger when John Harrison presented them with a plaque for 450 rallies – what an achievement! To top it all the first week Joan Harrison ran a lottery sweep and scooped £100 to share out among those who had joined in and on the second Saturday another sweep which raised £10 – that was given to charity.

In all it was another excellent rally from Susan, Peter and their helpers. Let’s hope for many more.

Second Rally Report for Flamborough

What a lovely venue this is with a total of 32 vans visiting during the rally. Saturday night social was held on the field with an enjoyable three course meal being served by our hosts and helpers.

Sunday tea and coffee was served for those not car booting or going further afield. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all free days to enjoy the good weather and the local amenities. Thursday was fish and chip night served in the local W.I. Hall with mushy peas, tea, bread and butter being provided by the Marshals.

During the course of the rally Alf, Joyce and Linda Holliday were presented with a card and plaque to mark their 200th rally. Also, Malcolm, Margaret and Paul Jagger received a card and plaque for their 450th rally. During the rally Derek Childs sold raffle tickets for the teenager’s charity (Childline) and raised a total of £45. Two prizes of £5 each were awarded to Arthur Roberts and Neil Holding.

Saturday night another social was held in the local W.I. Hall with a two course meal being provided and of course one of Peters famous quizzes. On Sunday at flag John Harrison presented the plaques and we all expressed our thanks in the usual way.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable rally with good weather and good food. Our thanks go to Peter, Susan, Graham, Joan and helpers.

Great site, great company, great rally! A fantastic job, Neale, Kerry and Danielle! Thankyou!

Dawlish was an easy tow from the M5; close enough to the seaside to enjoy all the facilities of Dawlish town and the family resort of Dawlish Warren - which has a lovely beach backed by sand dunes and small lakes, a haven for a great variety of wildlife. The Warren beach stretches for miles to reach the Exe estuary in one direction and Dawlish Town in the other.

The town is a delightful part Victorian and part Georgian seaside town with a lovely park, known locally as “The Lawn”, which has an avenue of trees, blooming flowers, exotic plants and a stream leading to the sea.

On Saturday afternoon we had a surprise celebrity guest to judge the competitions - Tweety Pie. Many thanks go to Geoff Jones for using his showbiz contacts to arrange this, having Elvis as a personal friend obviously helps.

To round off the Saturday, Margaret & Kerry laid on a Devon cream tea like no other – every single home-made scone was smothered under 4oz of cream, totally burying the best ambitions of any dieter!!

The Sinclair’s couldn’t make it this far south, so the quiz was won by someone else! And as the Bayliss’ were trapped by the same blizzards around Birmingham the sing-song was less rude! How wonderful to see so many children enjoying the freedom that we get from caravanning, they really are the future of our club.

Second Rally Report on Dawlish Warren. 16th to 21st June 2006.

This was great location just outside of the town of Dawlish, which was walkable for most, along the promenade with beautiful sea views. It was run by first time Rally Marshals Neale & Kerry who worked very hard to ensure we all had everything we needed & more.

The social was a DIY BBQ followed by clotted cream and jam scones. There were so many that I think that we were able to have them on 3 occasions.

The girls on the rally had a birthday party to which we were all invited complete with sandwiches, jelly & a birthday cake. They seemed to really enjoy it. Dawlish Warren & Dawlish have train links to Torquay & Exeter so both can be reached without driving & parking problems. The journey to Exeter is along the Sea front by the side of a nature reserve, the views are brilliant.

At Flag a raffle was held to raise money for the children’s charity. This was followed by presentation of the prizes for the kids quizzes presented by a Chicken! No prizes for guessing who was wearing the chicken costume!

Neale & Kerry intend to run this rally again next year, so come on every one, this is a lovely location lets improve on the 6 vans that attended this year. Thank you very much for a wonderful rally, we thoroughly enjoyed it.