Dear Members,

With this Newsletter will be any Formal Notice of Motions, also an Amendment to Form ‘Notice of Motion form’ which has to be sent to me before 13th August 2006. I have received a letter from a company offering DVD’s on guides to Caravan Club CL’s. Anyone interested can telephone the company on 01773 834890. Also Swindon Caravan Centre is introducing a loyalty card which is free to Elddis Owners Members.

Do not forget to book for the A.G.M. at Littleport.

John Harrison.

This is the last column I will write as Chairman of our Club, it has truly been one of life’s experiences but it is now time to hand this privilege on to a successor. Our Club has a Constitution which restricts a term in office to 3 years, this allows new ideas and methods to be brought into our organisation, and it is a great system as it ensures our Club can make the most of the changing world we all find ourselves living in.

The Club Annual General Meeting is the most important event in our Club year, this is the place to make your voice heard, whether it is in voting for the people who run our Club, putting a motion forward for debate, or having your say during any other business, if you feel you have something to say come along and voice your opinion!

By the time you read this Joy and I will have been to the Isle of Wight attending the rally Marshalled by Brian Smith. Also attending this rally will be the Chairman and a Committee member of the Elddis Caravan Club Nederland. We had met one of them at last year’s Dutch rally and it will be great to catch up with their news and find out how their Club is doing.

In closing for the last time, I would like to pay tribute to a few people, firstly John Harrison, his commitment to our Club and the unceasing work he puts in are not recognised enough. Secondly to the three Treasurers I have worked with, Angela’s term was cut short by a move to Australia, at which time Arthur Roberts stepped in until a permanent ‘victim’ could be found. Moss Owen became our current Treasurer, it has been a steep learning curve for him but he has mastered it and I wish him a lengthy term of office.

I have worked with 2 Equipment Officers. Merille Fountain has my thanks for the way she eased our Logo change into the equipment range and the support she gave me in sometimes difficult times. Stewart Sellers has now taken the job on in an ‘elect’ role until the A.G.M. he has some great ideas for new equipment and has brought enthusiasm to the job already.

The Area Secretaries and their Committee members are the people who do the WORK in our Club, all have been conscientious in their roles and have my sincere thanks for a job well done. Another un-sung hero is our Newsletter Editor Janet Jones, the newsletter is improving all the time, which considering the size and cost constraints we have to observe is not an easy task, the newsletter is something I always look forward to receiving and is avidly read.

Last and by no means least, deep and sincere thanks go to our Vice Chairman Jim James, he has acted as a sounding board and second opinion to any ideas I have had or actions needed to be taken. I would pass on a word of wise advice which was given to me by the previous Chairman Lyndon Wigmore concerning conducting a meeting. A B C and X Y Z. Always Be Confident & Xamine Your Zip.

Safe Journeys and have a great summer.

Ken Wootton.

It seems incredible but this will be my last contribution to the Newsletter as Vice Chairman. Where have the past three years gone? It seems no time since I was “persuaded” to put my name forward but this is probably a function of how much I have enjoyed the experience. It has been hard work at times and Jan has had to manage without my company or the use of the spare room for quite extended periods at times, but it is incredibly satisfying to see the Rally Book complete and circulated to you all.

It is even interesting dealing with the inevitable mistakes which creep in from time to time. I would like to thank everyone who has helped to make the job such a pleasure, particularly Ken and Joy, there are too many others to name here but you know who you are. Thank you all.

If you haven’t sent your booking form for the AGM yet please do so as soon as possible, cheques can be post dated but it does help the organisers to plan ahead if they know how many units to cater for.

If you are considering a rally next year please let me have your proposal forms as soon as possible so that I can give the next VC a running start with the book.

The weather is getting better and rallies are flowing thick and fast at present and we hope to see many of you in various fields during the summer.

Jim.

Hello Again.

It’s that time of year and the accounts have been audited and are published in this newsletter; as can be seen we made a small profit of £76 on the year, but rally expenses showed a large deficit of £605 expenditure over income.

This to some part can be put down to rallies cancelled at late notice and fewer rallies overall being run during the year but the main failing is that some rallies are not covering the administration costs.

Insurance alone has cost the club approximately £18 per rally over the last year; we hope to reduce this, this year by switching Insurer.

Rally Marshal’s should now be receiving delivery notes with their plaque orders, showing the cost of the order which is additional to the cost of the Insurance and also has to be covered by the administration fee. So Rally Marshal’s you can see we need at least £1.50 per unit donation from your rally fee to put the club on a firm footing.

Would all Rally Marshal’s please forward to me their plaque delivery notes together with the rally return?

On a different note, at the last committee meeting we had a change of Equipment Officer, Merille has had to give up the role she has made such a good job of for some time now, and so Stewart Sellers has taken over until the AGM. He has several new lines for sale so make sure you see, and buy, some of the new items he is selling.

Finally, before I go I would like to say a big thank you to Merille for all her efforts during her time as Equipment Officer, She has done a brilliant job; not least of all finding somewhere to store all the stock she has carried over the years.

Anyway that’s it for now, Di and I hope to see you on a rally field sometime soon.
Best wishes to you all.

Moss

WOW! BRILLIANT! FANTASTIC!

A big THANK YOU to everyone!!

What for? Well we have raised, to date (14th May), over £1000 for Childline. This total does not include all of the 5p’s you have been collecting OR the loose change in the Sweet jar. The sweet jar is almost full and weighs so much that even Drew finds it hard to lift it up off of the floor!

We went to Calverton, where we had great fun. Our next Rally is Steve Borg’s Vicars and Tarts, followed by Cuckoos Corner. I have written 17 letters welcoming new junior members to the club and I look forward to meeting them in the near future.

If you would like to organise a fund raising activity on a rally you are attending, please let me know, so we can share ideas and gain permission to run a fundraiser from the Rally Marshall. Look out for the AGM information: I am organising some junior member activities for each afternoon, from making things to looking for things!! See you there!

A BIG THANK YOU once again for your generosity

Tiffany.

It is pleasing to see so many of you sending in rally reports. If you feel that you would like to send in a report please do so even if you have not been specifically asked to by the attending Committee Member.

Members who run rallies are always pleased to see that you have enjoyed yourselves. Who knows you may win the prize for the best report!

Chris and I went out a few times in the van earlier in the year but haven’t been out since Val Withington’s Thornbury Rally due to a number of reasons, things such as work, home renovations and Chris having surgery on his knee (He’s escaping bit by bit!).

Please note that the deadline for articles in the summer Newsletter is Sunday 9th September 2006. If there is anything you would like me to put in the Newsletter please don’t hesitate to contact me. Rally reports can either be sent to me by post or by e-mail.

Don’t forget to send your AGM booking form in as soon as possible.

See you there. Best wishes – Cofion Cynnes.

Janet.