HAVE YOU BOOKED FOR THE A.G.M. YET! If not then get your slip in as soon as possible. I had the pleasure of inspecting the site at Easingwold School over Easter. Members of a few years standing will remember we have used this site for a previous A.G.M. It is within a short walk of the Town and is of course set in the Yorkshire countryside not far from York city and within easy reach of the North Yorkshire Moors. The site itself is the School playing field; it is certainly big enough with space for about 4 football pitches so a hundred plus units would be no problem. Whilst on matters concerning the A.G.M. would ALL Committee Members and Officers remember that if they are standing for a further term, to get their Nomination form filled out and in to our General Secretary by August 15th. In this newsletter there will be the notifications of any Rule changes, if you are coming to the Annual General Meeting to be held on the Sunday morning you will have the chance to take part in an informal question and answer session. This will take place immediately after the A.G.M. proper closes and will last for 20 to 30 minuets, this is your chance to ask us anything which would not be covered in the official Meeting, it may be, why do we do things a particular way, or perhaps you think we could do something else better. I hope it will be constructive and give everyone a chance to tell us what you want from, or for, our Club. The Easingwold A.G.M. will not be all business, it will be a great chance to catch up with people who you might not have seen for a while, enjoy the program put on by the Northern Committee Members or have a look at the Yorkshire countryside. See you there, safe journeys to you all.
Ken Wootton.
Dear Members,
With this Newsletter will be a Formal Notice of Motion, also an Amendment to Formal Notice of Motion form. This must be returned to The General Secretary by August 15th 2004. Also, all nominations for Committee must be in by August 15th 2004. Remember that all Committee members must be proposed and seconded each year. This years A.G.M. is at Easingwold, North Yorkshire. Admittance to the meeting will be on production of a current Membership Card. With this Newsletter will be an agenda for the meeting. Replacement of lost Membership cards will be available from the General Secretary at the Rally.
Regards. John Harrison.
Is it my imagination or are there fewer members rallying this year? We have been to several events so far and had a thoroughly good time but numbers seem to be very much down on last year. Is the rising cost of fuel taking its toll or is there some other reason? If we are not organizing the rallies that you want then please, please, let me know. It's your club and it exists for the express purpose of providing what you the members want, but if you don't let us know if we are not providing the right mix of events then we can't do anything about it. You will see from the Rally Book that there are several first time Rally Marshals this year and I would ask you to give them all the support that you possibly can. It's a daunting task to take on a first rally (although everyone who takes the plunge wonders what they were worrying about afterwards) and a good attendance is a great reward for the work involved. If you aren't running a rally this year, and for personal reasons Jan and I are not doing so, then please consider next year. If you need any suggestions on suitable sites then I have a number of locations who have written in offering rally fields in various locations and would be pleased to pass them to you on request. To those of you who have already decided to run rallies next year please let your Area Secretaries and myself have the proposal forms as soon as possible (I know it's only July but I am already working on next year's Rally Book).
Jim James
Arthur Roberts was very kind and prepared the accounts for the auditors as Roger and I were away in Australia for nine weeks holiday at the beginning of the year. The accounts for 2003 have since been audited and approved by the Directors and Committee for submission to the members at the Annual General Meeting and details are included in this Newsletter in the usual format. It is not practical to publish the full Statutory Accounts; every committee member has a copy. I am sure Arthur will be kind enough to answer any questions regarding the accounts when they are presented at the AGM, I would normally do this but feel that as Arthur prepared the accounts he will be far more knowledgeable regarding last year's accounts. The accounts show a credit of £814 before depreciation and a credit of £667 after depreciation has been deducted. Well once again thank you very much Arthur for your support and help. Kind regards to you all.
Angela Palmer
Hi everyone. I am still doing very well with the raffles and I am getting a lot of money for the charity. I am going to tell you now that this will be my last newsletter piece as I won't be taking on the Junior Representative role again next year because of exams at school. So, if you Teenagers are interested in being the Junior Representative, please come and see me at the AGM and I'll tell you what is needed to be done throughout the year. Hope to see you soon or at the AGM. STOP PRESS ---- The kid's Saturday event at the AGM this year will be a ten pin bowling trip to York. To save some money we would like to travel by car rather than hiring a coach. If any parents have suitable insurance and would be able to take a car load of kids from the AGM to York please let me or Tony Illingworth know.
Thanks. Dominic (DJ).
Rallying in January - we must be mad. But at least there is no snow on the ground like there was the previous time we came to this site, although it was a little bit windy! The first rally of the year is traditionally a time to meet up again with old friends that you haven't seen for a while. Most of these old friends were out rallying only 4 weeks previously at New Year, but somehow we still managed to find plenty to talk about. Prize for the keenest ralliers must go to Robin & Tricia Busby. Who found themselves without a tow-car at the last minute, but determined not to miss a rally on Tricia's birthday, they came along with friends John & Barbara Harris. (Do they get a plaque, I wonder?) As usual most of the ralliers spent Saturday shopping in Banbury, although some went further afield to the Outlet Village at Bicester, but everybody was back in time for the evening social which was Fish and Chips in the Village Hall. The evening's entertainment continued with a quiz involving twenty-six questions - one answer for each letter of the alphabet. When all the papers were in and marked, Bob declared that the result was a draw between Chairman Ken Wootton and past Chairman Lyndon Wigmore. As an instant tie-breaker, Bob asked the two winners to shout out how many letters were in the word "MISSISSIPPI". Past Chairman Lyndon surprised a few people by shouting out the answer (11) in a fraction of a second. What a strange thing to know! There is no room on the Banbury site suitable for holding flag, and there were far too many ralliers to fit into Bob & Maureen's awning, so closing flag was held in the hall on Saturday night as well. DJ, as usual, was wringing money out of the ralliers with a bonus-ball lottery in aid of the children's charity. You're doing a great job, DJ. Keep it up! With no flag to have on Sunday morning we were able to relax and plan our rallies for the next few weeks. Several ralliers were going on to Louise Pharis' rally at Bletchingdon the following weekend and some of them took their vans on down to Bletchingdon to leave them on that site ready for the following weekend. Once again Bob, Maureen and DJ have managed to make the first rally of the year a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We are all looking forward to the next one. The picture shows Sophie Kent receiving her plaque from Chairman Ken Wootton for completing 75 rallies. Well done Sophie!
The weather was typical for the time of year, chilly, showers etc. so who would have thought that a group of people would descend upon a caravan site wearing shorts, Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts, swimwear and sunglasses. It could only be the Elddis Owners club - who else would be mad enough to dress like this in the depths of winter? Once again Louise and family had pulled out all the stops to make this a fantastic rally. Saturday saw us all gathered in the clubroom dressed in the aforementioned, eagerly awaiting the evenings get together, and we were not disappointed. We were entertained, and fed extremely well on two kinds of Caribbean casserole made by Louise. Sunday morning flag was held with Louise and family being thanked for a wonderful weekend. I hope that Louise will run the rally again next year. You work so hard to make this rally a success, thank you Louise.
To write a report for this rally is a bit difficult as members come and go over the 10 days, but the welcome you receive from John and Margaret is very warm and sincere, nothing is too much trouble for John, if he can help you in any way he will, even offering to take one member and his family to the station to go to the N.E.C. and then pick them up again on their return. The hospitality we receive from the management in the club is also very good, and with such a lot of us having food, John took the orders in early and the staff served us almost as soon as we sat down, and it was good food at reasonable prices (not like the prices at the N.E.C.). So I would like to say a big thank you to John and Margaret for doing this rally, it would be a long journey for some if they had to do the journey both ways in one day.
Brave Club members who took part in the Midlands Winter Walk on a very cold February morning in Lincolnshire. Well done to Brian Foottit for organizing everything including the Sunday Lunch
Sitting here reading an extremely humorous article in the Saturday Telegraph about driving and road signs in Wales reminded me that I still hadn't written the rally report for Lyndon & Ruth Wigmore's St David's Day rally at Walford earlier this year. That and a subtle reminder from the Newsletter Editor!! The notes I made at the time remind me that 13 vans attended which isn't bad for the end of February considering that 6 inches of snow fell in Newport two days before the rally was due to start which had Lyndon phoning around in a state of (mild) panic warning that the rally might be off. This, as it turned out, proved to be almost unnecessary as most of those planning to attend either hadn't had much snow or it had melted quickly during the Friday - except Ron and Ann Hope who did have a lot of snow and couldn't get out at all I believe. Saturday passed freely for most until the evening social in the adjacent hall when a certain degree of "Welshness" took over. To mark St David's Day, we were treated to a supper of leek and potato soup, Bara Brith and Welsh cakes; an easy going history lesson about the man himself (St David - not Lyndon) and then a choral session led by the massed choirs of the Cardiff Millennium Stadium (I kid you not) which had us all singing the Welsh national anthem IN WELSH!!!! more times than was healthy. (Those of us who are not natural Welsh speakers were assisted by a phonetic version of the lyrics which helped - a bit.) Thanks go to Janet Jones (in full native costume) for leading the singing lessons and to husband Chris for the history lesson (in English). A quiz then followed where we had to identify 20 different Welsh singers - yes, I didn't know there were that many either! Sunday morning saw flag in the hall again with the long list of thank you's including Dave and Val Withington for washing up something referred to as "sosspans" after Saturday's supper, Chris and Janet Jones for the cultural contribution and to Alan, Janet and Stephanie Giles for something else. Competition winners were announced. Alan and Janet Giles (both Welsh) identified one more Welsh singer than the Sinclairs (one half-Welsh and one completely English) with Chris and Janet Jones (both Welsh) in third place; Sarah Pharis won the competition to design a new Welsh flag and Bob Sinclair won the competition to correctly guess the name of the Welsh doll (Olwyn, if you're interested). This competition resulted in £23.50 being donated to the children's charity - thank you. Kids sweets and Welsh themed van prizes rounded off proceedings after which committee member Pauline Bayliss thanked Lyndon and Ruth for another excellent rally and presented them with their Rally Marshal's plaque. It would be wrong to finish this rally report without saying a big (English) thank you to Ruth and Lyndon for all the effort they put into making this another excellent rally, so -THANK YOU.
As first time ralliers with the Elddis Owners Club we were very pleased at the warm reception given to us at our first rally at Crowland (Marshals Joan and Gordon). We then went on to the next rally at Wisbech. This was a lovely site with centrally heated showers and toilets, a children's play area, a small shop and gas exchange, there was also a clubhouse, bar and restaurant, not far down the road there was a Post Office and small supermarket. This site is quite close to Kings Lynn and within reasonable distance of the coastal town of Hunstanton, we found this well worth the visit in spite of the bitterly cold wind. It tried to snow but ended up as torrential rain. Edmund and Daphne arranged a visit to Caithness Glass at Kings Lynn and also arranged for lunch there at a very reasonable price. There were fourteen of us and we were put together in a separate dining area, the food was very good with generous portions and excellent service, with plenty of time afterwards to look around and visit the shop (of course we were not going to buy anything!!!). We went into the workshop and saw how the glass is blown and coloured, and the many items they make. On the Saturday night we all had a farewell meal in the site restaurant, again the prices were very reasonable and the meal good value for money. On the last day (Sunday) we had our farewell meeting in the awning of Edmund and Daphne's van as the weather was rather inclement, said our farewells and left for home, we certainly enjoyed this rally and all credit to our Marshals Edmund and Daphne for the warm welcome and their help.
We were one of the ralliers who arrived at the Virginia Lake site for the weekend; the lucky ones had arrived on the Wednesday from the previous rally at Crowland, (you lucky people!). Talking to various people who had been there since Wednesday, we found out what we had missed, an interesting trip to Caithness Glass followed by an enjoyable meal and time to explore the local towns. In the short time we had, we managed to visit the sea-side and get some shopping done in Kings Lynn, didn't have time to visit Wisbech, maybe next time. Saturday evening saw us in the clubhouse on the site for an excellent and generously portioned meal, it was most enjoyable to sit with a group of friends just catching up with each other and looking forward to the season ahead. The weather had thrown all sorts at us, high wind, heavy rain and cold temperatures, but the atmosphere was warm and calm, after all it was the first time most of us had seen each other since last year. At Sunday Flag our Chairman Ken Wootton thanked Edmund and Daphne Horn, assisted by Gordon and Joan Addison for running this super rally in none too easy weather conditions, Marshals and Assistants were warmly applauded by all for a job well done.
In all, nine outfits arrived at Rufforth in moderately good weather-for the time of year - the tenth ralliers having to stay at home to nurse a sick cat. We also welcomed new ralliers John and Marie Bean. As it was the first time out this year for many, there was a great deal of news to be caught up on, and this was done on Saturday night when Merille and John laid on a meal of fish and chips in the cosy clubroom on site. We were introduced to Gwyneth's new grand-daughter - a third generation caravanner, perhaps? On Sunday, quite a few of the members went to the nearby car boot sale as we had had flag on Saturday night. Hopefully we can have a rally here again as it is an ideal early season site, having hard standing for quite a few caravans. Thanks again to Merille and John for an excellent rally.
A rare event took place at this new venue found by Janet and Chris Jones at Walgherton, Nantwich, on the Cheshire Plain between Stoke-on-Trent and Chester. Totally disregarding the weekend's weather forecast 15 units turned up in the field adjacent to the Boar's Head from as far afield as South Wales, Suffolk and Yorkshire. The weather was a bit too fresh to hold the welcome outside of the Marshal's van, so we had an introduction to the site and surrounding area, cosily, in the awning. This was followed by the opportunity to socialise with old friends, some for the first time this year. The weather became even more blustery on Saturday, which resulted in Pauline and Charles' dog, Tilley, having to have its personal living space removed; Lesley and Martin's motorhome being repositioned, and the Marshal's awing being dismantled to stop it waltzing away with the caravan, but most people were able to get out and about to visit the local attractions. For those who have never been, Chester has quite a remarkable city centre that is well served by a very convenient park-and-ride scheme. The afternoon saw little movement from the rugby enthusiasts, the result of which caused some light-hearted banter (from the English anyway). Janet and Chris had arranged for us to have a meal at the adjacent pub in the evening. The meals available were varied, tasty and good value for money. After this we had a quiz, presented by Chris, but which must have been devised by someone who spends most of their time watching television. It gave added entertainment to other diners in the room, and was won, jointly, by Colin and Elaine Chapman and Len and Hazel Stoneman. The 'Design a Mother's Day card' by the children, was won by all three contestants! - Chloe and Sam Kent, and Oliver McArdle. Flag was held outside of the Marshal's caravan, where ralliers congratulated Thelma Hey on her birthday. Lesley Hill presented Janet with her Marshal's plaque, and thanked her for running a successful rally under trying circumstances, and to Chris for his help. Oh, yes, the rare event, Janet and Chris's rally? (No, it was their second); Wales winning at Twickenham? (You must be joking); Ken Dodd performing for less than two hours? (That's no joke). No, none of those, but the Elddis Flag flying Full Square - Now that IS a rare event!
Nine vans arrived at the Oast House, Brompton-on-Swale to be sited by Tom. Coffee and tea was served at 8pm at the Marshals van. Thursday no more vans arrived, obviously all the remaining ralliers were the workers. Friday saw all the above coming in throughout the day. Coffee & tea was again served at the Marshals van. Saturday social was held in the local Church hall. A delicious three course meal was provided by Tom ably assisted by Matty and Lily. This was followed by a general knowledge quiz which Matty had put together. Unfortunately he had mislaid the answers. Having gone back to the caravan to find them, they eventually turned up in the kitchen of the Church hall. Ian officiated and handed out a very well earned rally plaque to Tom. It was lovely to see Jack and Margaret at the social and both looking extremely well. Flag was held on Saturday evening, which left Sunday as a free day for those that wanted to visit the nearby markets. Coffee was served at 11am and a few goodbyes were said. The few remaining vans were staying until close of rally on Monday. Thanks again to Tom and helpers for a wonderful rally.
The Rally began with the usual Friday evening get together. We were advised that a meal had been arranged for those wishing to partake, in a nearby pub for the next evening. Saturday was taken up by the spring Committee meeting, but most people met in the Green Dragon pub in Oxton, where a very good meal was served. Bob and Maureen Sinclair were celebrating their 100th Rally so on Sunday morning, for flag Maureen had made a wonderful chocolate cake for us all to enjoy. There were also first time ralliers, Eric and Barbara Loveridge from Athenstone, who not only won the bonus ball lottery competition organized by Steve and Petra but also first prize in the raffle organized by Dominic Sinclair for the teenagers charity. Ken Wootton officiated at flag presenting the plaques and thanking Steve and Petra on our behalf.
Rally Marshals :- John & Ann Harrison assisted by Jayne, Dave and Matthew North and David & Gwynneth Bird. There was a marvelous turnout of 48 vans for John & Ann's Easter rally at Crakehall on a huge grass field south of the village. Things got off to a great start on Thursday evening with boxes of free range eggs, courtesy of Mrs. Neale the owner, being handed out to lucky winners drawn from the hat. Easter Eggs already! John welcomed everyone, especially first time ralliers Gordon & Jean Weatherburn, Graham and Joyce Bradley and Anne Johnson and her two daughters, and gave out general info about the area whilst we all tucked in to excellent cake baked by Jayne. The social on Saturday night was held a short distance away at Bedale Sports club, where we were treated to a Yorkshire Ham tea with lots of trimmings followed by a selection of puddings. Thanks to all who helped with the preparation, serving and washing up. Once we'd all eaten it was time for the Easter Bonnet competition with prizes for both adults and children. Just when we thought the excitement was over, we were treated to Bingo a la Jack Gillance, featuring John (the echo) Harrison. Jack and Margaret visited us on Saturday and it was really nice to see them both again. Sunday was a free day which gave us the opportunity to explore the local area. It's a fantastic part of the country with all sorts of places to visit from towns like Bedale itself, to the open views found in the Dales. For the more adventurous, the Leeming to Leyburn tourist train passed by the site. Monday at 10:30am brought flag with a huge table laden with lucky van prizes, no-one was left out. The children's painted egg competition was judged and prizes awarded for the best although they were all good. Well done kids. They were then treated to some of Matthew's birthday cake. When Ken Wootton thanked the Rally Marshals and their Assistants he spoke for all of us who really appreciated their efforts in running the rally. Pete Turner gave us details of future rallies and we then all dispersed for the day. Those who had to return to work on Tuesday sadly left on Monday, leaving the lucky few to have an extra night. Thanks again to John & Ann and everyone who helped for a great rally.
HAPPY EASTER! At a previous rally there was a tremor of anticipation about the new venue of Binton, as John Vernon had maintained an element of confidentiality about the site and facilities available. We had heard that pitches were in demand. We had well overestimated our journey time to the site, and, even slowing down for the last hour, arrived there before two o'clock only to find that most of the hard standing pitches had been taken and there were about 10 caravans on the main field. It was evident that fellow ralliers had been unable to restrain themselves to get early spaces for the first holiday rally for the year. John greeted us with a warning that the field was soft! However, we had no difficulty but you could see where heavier vehicles had traversed the site. Despite pessimistic weather forecasts it was sunny and warm and we soon set up and then found our way to nearby Welford-upon-Avon where there was a local artists' exhibition. Also we admired the picture-postcard timber-framed houses that we are not able to afford. That evening everyone assembled at the well equipped Binton Social Club for coffee, etc. and John outlined the events for weekend and welcomed two first-time ralliers Russell and Sylvia, and Alan and Eve. We were given a warm welcome by the club staff and exclusive use of the function room. Most of the younger ones made full use of the games room, for pool and darts. Did you know that our President has made a new career move? Some have said that he is talkative, others that he is plain spoken! But now he really 'shouts his mouth off'! OH YEZ! OH YEZ! Supported by several hard of hearing members he took part in the Heart of England Town Criers Competition at Alcester, representing his Town as the Town Crier of Tetbury. I kid you not! Complete with tricorn hat, bell and costume he was part of a very colourful, unusual and entertaining event. On Saturday evening John and his able assistants organised an American Supper in the Clubhouse. A Disco by local DJ's Rick and Marion who kept us dancing until late followed this. Sunday was a free and easy day to enjoy the nearby sights and amenities. Stratford has many cultural attractions, as does Warwick, and for the less cultured the nearby market at Wellesbourne. Fellow member Eric Loverage playing his keyboard provided the evening's entertainment. Flag was held on Monday morning and "OH YEZ! OH YEZ! OH YEZ!" we were summoned by the resplendent blue-coated Town Crier of Tetbury, to attend at the clubhouse for the usual presentations. Midland Committee Member Pauline Bayliss officiated. She thanked John and Margaret, ably assisted by Steve and Andrea Borg, for organising this very successful rally and presented them with their respective plaques. A special mention was made of the help given by Steve and Andrea's children, Alyson and Lawrence. Eric and Barbara Loveridge were congratulated on their Wedding Anniversary; and birthdays were marked for Sophie Kent, Emma Pilot and Charles Pharis. Our President presented plaques to the first timers hoping they enjoyed the rally and meeting the members. During the rally a raffle was held which raised over £100! John Vernon donated £50 of this to D.J.Sinclair, Junior and Teenage Rep. for the "Jeans for Genes" Charity that is their project for the year, the remainder going to Club funds. Finally, thanks and gifts were presented to John and Julie, representing the Binton Social Club Committee, for their hospitality and generosity in helping to make this a great rally. This is a first for the Social Club and the proceeds from this rally will be ploughed back into improving the facilities for future caravan rallies. It is likely that this venue will be in the Rally Handbook for next year. Some had to leave that day, but those that stayed behind were entertained again in the evening by Eric. On Tuesday morning I'm sure that the worried look on John Vernon's face was beginning to lift as the remainder left. Well done, John! This was a great rally; your apprehensions were easily overcome, and if you run this again you'll not have to plea for takers.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye!! Or something like that, what a wonderful weekend in every way. The weather was something else, and the Rally Marshals put on a wonderful weekend. We arrived on the Friday evening to be greeted by the most breathtaking view, with the sun just going down. The tea and coffee was there, along with lots of chatter. A visit to the castle was arranged for Saturday morning at a reduced price, before the party set off a few ralliers paraded their medieval costumes, 'FANTASTIC', photo's will be published in the daily papers!! Other ralliers went and found the shops and 'garden centres' much to their husband's worry about their wallets. Saturday night, Petra and Steve put on a supper to feed the whole of the 'Caravan Club'!! With salad and pork pie, tomatoes, and a whole chicken to each table, and to top it off, a pudding of pie and?? Well the squirty cream was left on the shop shelf, but it still deserves a big well done. Sunday morning was as sunny as Saturday. Flag was held again with tea and coffee. The chairman thanked Petra and Steve for a good rally, and all the hard work that went into it.
Once again we traveled from England to the Welsh mountains where we were to be entertained by Thelma and Norman. We were given a warm welcome from them, shown to our pitch, and given a pot of tea for two, which was most needed. Thursday and Friday were free to relax or to take stock of the area and enjoy the good weather. A meal was cooked by Anita, (the steward's wife) and staff, with Thelma supplying the sweet, enjoyed by all. The fine weather stayed with us for the Llandudno Extravaganza as well as visits to the Electric Mountain, National Trust properties and other places of interest. Our boat trip for Wednesday 5th was postponed because of very wet weather, as was the BBQ, we cooked in the caravans then went into the club where salad provided by Thelma was ready to fill our plates. Three games of Bingo were played, two winners receiving £6.each and £7.50 for the 3rd. Thursday morning we made our way to the Quay at Conwy for our boat trip, being met by Bryn the skipper, no snacks to be had as we had eaten them the day before at our caravans. Friday evening we gathered once again in the Hotpoint Club for a meal and to be entertained by a local artiste Martin Barry. Flag was held during the interval, rally prizes won and flowers presented to the ladies who had given their help. Thelma thanked Trevor Owen who had popped over for a visit, nice to see you again. It was the turn of Arthur Roberts, who officiated in the absence of a committee member, to thank Joy and Tom Randall for being able assistant marshals and Thelma and Norman for running the rally, hoping they will repeat it again next year. Our entertainer once again took to the stage, singing songs requested by us including Delilah' for Thelma who danced for us, then threw her 'knickers' on stage. Sunday morning was the 'big breakfast', all waiting for their turn to enjoy a plateful with the exception of June Pool who took her weetabix. Farewells were said and the rally became smaller as caravans disappeared down the drive, heading for home. Many thanks to the 'Heys' for a good rally, lovely sunshine at the start, and all the jobs done behind the scenes. Hope you run it again in 2005.
The rally commenced on Thursday for those lucky souls not having to attend work. For those of us spending Friday night on the M5 motorway, it meant a welcome relief on arrival and despite the week's rain - the field had stood up well to 23 units attending -including 2 first time ralliers who were welcomed on Friday Night.
On Saturday, in mixed weather conditions - many had a trip out into Weston or maybe the 2 Caravan dealers nearby including MENDIPS - an Elddis agent. The evening time saw smoke signals between the caravans as Barbeques were given probably their first use this season and burnt offerings were consumed ravenously. For those so minded, there was a vocalist entertaining in the clubhouse to which Elddis members were invited, and for others, a social chat amongst friends passed the night away. Sunday proved a better day weather wise, and many ventured out to Cheddar Gorge nearby or for trips along the coastline. After the practice session Saturday, a communal Barbeque and a gathering in the Marshal's 'Hall' proved very popular and extended into the late evening - as they tend to do. Monday saw Flag and grateful thanks being offered to Pauline & Charles, ably assisted by John & Marlene with a plaque presentation by our Club president Mr. Derek Jackson and his Lady. He then went on to proudly present Dominic Sinclair (Teenage Liaison Officer ) with a Silver Cup and 100th Rally Plaque after informing those present of DJ's remarkable commitment to the club and his Charity, Jeans for Genes. He has already raised almost £1000 so far this year for the charity and now offers a Disco facility to any members who might need it. Children doing Pasta Plate designs for the children's competition at Weston, the under 5's was joint winners Jordan Lickley and 2 year old first time rallier Benjamin McElroy, the 6 to 11 was won by Jade Stephenson, and the 12 and over by Dominic Sinclair, all judging was done by Eileen Jackson. Warning: If Dave Withington runs an auction on a rally near you, make sure you are not in the hall, and even then he might sell you something - at a price you didn't want to pay!
Peter Turner continued his "sporting theme" by taking the Elddis Owners Club from Tynedale Rugby Club to a new venue at Alnwick Rugby Club. What a beautiful site it was, so close to the magnificent Northumberland coastline and with the historic market town of Alnwick on the doorstep. Peter welcomed and ably sited twenty-one vans on the rugby pitch and we all settled in to plan and organise our excursions from this beautiful location. Alnwick Water Gardens, proved well worth a visit, even though work is still underway, it is a great achievement and one can only imagine what it will be like when everything is complete. Although no doubt the Duchess of Northumberland, whose "project" this is, will come up with some other ideas to make it even more spectacular. Unfortunately you cannot book the weather on Elddis rallies and it was in heavy rain that we all made our way down to the Club House to see what Linda and Pete had managed to lay on for us for the social. Well, it may have been damp and miserable outside, but when we got inside and watched the trays of beautiful food being laid out in front of us everyone's spirits were raised and we couldn't wait to tuck in. All credit to Pete for finding such a good caterer who could provide such a spread and to make things even better, for the second week running, there was no washing up after the meal, this is really decadent living! After we had all eaten as much as we could possibly manage of the beautiful food, Len Stoneman, a welcome visitor from the South, kindly performed the honours on behalf of the Club, and presented Linda and Pete and their able Assistants Collette and Alan with their well-deserved plaques. Following the "official proceedings" Pete then "inflicted" another of his "Four Letter Word Quizzes" on us; I swear he really takes great pleasure in watching people squirm and try to think of "clean four letter words", I didn't know there was so many! All good things come to an end and although the rain had stopped by Sunday morning we were all glad that there are not many hills or slopes on a rugby pitch and we all managed, bar one, to get off the field with no problem. The one, a Southern Committee Member who shall remain nameless, found the only slope but were quickly underway thanks to a useful piece of plastic matting and a few willing helpers! We are all very grateful to Rally Marshals for running rallies but when "workers" use their holidays to provide rallies for others that is really great, thanks, Linda, Pete, Collette and Alan for such a lovely rally.
The follow on rally from Alnwick was held just outside the village of Ancrum, about 4 miles from Jedburgh. Thirteen caravans gathered on Sunday for the weeks stay with three more arriving at the weekend. The venue was ideal, being set in beautiful countryside with plenty of places to visit. On Wednesday, Tom and his helpers organized a barbecue which we were able to enjoy in the sunshine. On Saturday evening, again in lovely sunshine, we had a get-together on the field with a wonderful meal of steak, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables, miraculously put together by Tom and his Assistants, followed by dessert of trifles. We ended with Flag, where Peter Turner, (our Committee Member) presented the Rally Plaques to Tom and his Assistants, Matty and his wife Lily. We all showed our appreciation by applauding loudly as this was an excellent venue, and hopefully we shall be able to return next year.
The rally started on Thursday with tea & coffee at the Marshals van. On Friday the rest of the ralliers arrived making 30 units in total, we all met in the clubhouse for wine & cheese. On Saturday most people went to see the sites in & around Durham, returning for the social. However sometime after the social things took a sinister turn, when on or about 20:30 hrs the flag was kidnapped by persons unknown, Ian Blackie was asked to bring the flag in, but didn't realise the flag had been replaced with a large pair of bloomers. On Sunday May 30th at 08:45 a text message was received which said, Dear Mr. Bennington, I'm sorry I had to go, but all you do is put me up in the cold and drink tea under me, so knickers to you, I'm off, love, your flag xx. 30th May 08:55 am official reply was sent by the Rally Marshal who had by this time started to make enquiries with a team of Elddis detectives which read, Dear Mr. flag I'm sorry you felt that way after we pampered you in every way, washing you, pulling you up and down, making you warm at night. You are welcome back at anytime, P.S. bring your brother. Further enquiries were made and vehicles were stopped and the occupants were questioned about their movements on Saturday night. Mr. and Mrs. Holding were first to leave the social, but were adamant they weren't. Mr. Bell saw the flag being lowered but thought nothing of it. Mr. Murray admitted to being in possession of cable ties, but after sealing off his van as a crime scene, the cable ties were found to be of the wrong size & colour. Mr. Stobbs & Mr. Wilkinson swore blind the flag was present when they passed. Tom said he didn't want his name mentioned. Mr. Johnson was asked what time he left the social, he replied which, the first or second time. Mr. & Mrs. Langford returned by car & didn't stop till they reached their van. Evidence was now starting to mount & the Rally Marshal planned an elaborate mobile phone trace after another text was received which said: I'm so sorry, come & get me daddy I want see you all for tea, I'm in the stand, love, your flag xx P.S. my brother is on holiday. The flag was recovered in time for flag, where the Rally Marshal re-capped on the evidence gathered so far, but restrained from taking D.N.A. samples. On Monday Yvonne walked around the vans while Ian called the number used to send the text's, this call was traced to one Darren Medley, who was arrested & taken to the Durham assizes (the Rally Marshal's awning) for trial by "Hanging Judge" Bennington, the accused was released on Elddis bail pending further enquiries & will appear before magistrates at a rally later this year, however on Tuesday, despite a massive police presence the accused absconded & is believed to have headed for the border at Gretna Green & is still at large.
Oh what a rally! Once again Ian and Yvonne organized a very good rally, or, "Who done it". A cheese and wine evening was enjoyed by all in the clubhouse on Friday evening. Saturday, we attended the social in the cricket club, where we had a lovely meal of Chicken (for Derek), and all with jacket potato and salad followed by apple pie and ice cream. Returning to the vans after the social the flag had disappeared and in its place was a very large pair of 'bloomers'. A van was cordoned off and the questioning began, but all ends well, the flag came back. The remaining days of the rally all went well. Thank you to Assistant Marshals Ian and Dorothy and many thanks to Marshals Ian and Yvonne.
The Whitsun rally this year was run by John and Margaret Vernon at Eaton Court Farm, Stoke Prior near Leominster. It was a lovely location on the banks of the River Lugg where a dozen vans assembled over the weekend for what was to be a fun weekend. Saturday saw the now almost customary communal Barbecue, it has to be said though, that only a couple of chefs tried using those new fangled charcoal barbecues, the rest of us preferring to use the more traditional Gas grill type, but we all managed to achieve our aim in the end. The weather was kind to us and a great evening was spent with most of us enjoying a glass of shandy or Ribena to while away the evening. Sunday was another lovely day with plenty of bright sunshine early on. A few ventured off to the Car boot sale at the Garden Centre next door, most coming back muttering that they had thrown away better stuff than was on sale there, and complaining of 'daylight robbery' at the fifty pence entrance fee. Some ventured out to the local beauty spots and one brave soul D.J. Sinclair even launched his yacht, sorry, inflatable dinghy, into the River Lugg and enjoyed some time messing about on, and sometimes even in, the River. As the day wore on out came the Bar-by's again and more delicious smells invaded the Herefordshire Countryside. When the dining was over it was time for the games evening and what a great time was had by all. First off were the 'lawn' games, giant noughts and crosses, lawn darts and boules, with teams, after being drawn from a hat or to be more precise one of Pauline Bayliss's best cereal bowls, being led by our Marshall John and Deputy Pauline, the result? We had to wait till Flag on Monday for that, so you'll have to wait a while as well. After the lawn games came the serious stuff - Pauline's famous dice game, 3 home made dice with 3 sides having a dot, the other 3, directions as to where to pass your coins, to the person on your left, right or into the kitty. The 3 ten pence's went a long way and loud cheers filled the evening air every time more money went into the kitty. About an hour later the final dice was cast and Simeon Tighe won a huge kitty, £6.30P, he didn't keep it long though before giving it to D.J. for the children's charity. A few more glasses of Ribena and we all slept soundly that night. Monday saw even more sunshine and by the time Flag was held at 11.00am we were all starting to get more than a little warm. The usual tea and coffee were served in the Gazebo erected by John, and as a nice surprise Cherry Cakes were supplied by Brian and Sue Taylor to celebrate Sue's Birthday. Very nice too! Van prizes were drawn and a raffle held to raise more money for the Children's Charity. After flag there was time for some to relax and enjoy the last of the beautiful sunshine .For others of us it was getting time to start packing ready to leave and go back to work next day, or for the lucky few traveling on to the next rally at Tewkesbury. I'm told we left just in time, the promised rain finally arrived that evening to dampen the spirits (or should that be - water down) of those few remaining members. Thank you John and Margaret for a smashing weekend! Oh, and the result of the games evening? A draw - what else!
Eight vans arrived on this very pleasant site on a cloudy afternoon. Unfortunately it started to rain just as opening flag was about to start, but Jim and Janet to the rescue, they let Margaret have the use of their awning, so we kept nice and dry whilst we chatted to friends old and new. Beside the usual biscuits there was some delicious home made Tea Bread. Saturday started misty and was very mixed all day but it didn't stop people getting out and about, some into Bridlington, some to Driffield and some went even further afield. Sunday morning the rain was very heavy at times but by mid afternoon it had stopped and sun came out, and so did all the ralliers. By teatime it was so nice that our social went ahead in the Longley's awning and spilling out onto the field. What a treat our marshal and her team of helpers had prepared. We took our own meat and Margaret provided a lovely salad, followed by some lemon cheesecake. By then the weather was so nice and we were all enjoying the chat no one moved until about 8pm. Monday was very bright and sunny for closing flag. Mary and John Emson were deserving winners of the competition which had a Yorkshire theme, and Margaret thanked us all for coming with particular thanks to Tom for agreeing to her running it as he wasn't too keen after his recent accident. Susan Conway presented Tom and Margaret with their well earned plaque and said how much we all appreciated them taking over the rally at short notice. Tuesday was misty and damp when we all said good-bye having had a thoroughly good time. Most of us drove ourselves home but Tony and Frances Martin wanted to be different, they rode home in a breakdown vehicle!
On Tuesday Tom was already on site to welcome & site the 17 Vans, most of who had followed on from Durham. After settling in, there was tea, coffee & biscuits in the room adjacent (known as Uncle Tom's cabin) to the rally field. Wednesday was a free day, some chose to relax by the vans, while others went to explore the local area. On Thursday there was a social barbecue, Tom provided salad, potatoes & beans while the ralliers brought their choice of meat, again in the room hired by Tom. We all met again on Friday for tea, coffee & biscuits, & welcomed our guests, Jack & Margaret Gillance, who were holidaying near by, along with the weekenders. Saturday was the social; we were served with Ham, chicken, pork pie, salad & potatoes, followed by peaches & cream for sweet. Flag followed, and Tom was presented with his Rally Marshal's plaque, Matty and Lily were presented with an Assistant Rally Marshal's plaque, and Roy was thanked for all his help, along with all the ladies who had helped out too. Sunday was when the workers had to leave, after visiting the Sunday market, leaving Monday as a free day, with the rally ending on Tuesday. The site was a first class caravan park, we had the top section of the site to ourselves, with mains electricity and immaculate shower and toilet blocks, there is lots to see & do in the area, all in all a very good rally enjoyed by all.