89-97 79-83 North West London Group October 2017 Edition 704

97-99 83-89 NWL Group Officers & Committee 2017/18 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Secretary Chairman Treasurer Alan Thurbon Mike Harrison Doug Harrison 9 Gilded Acre 17 Brentford Close, Yeading Applestore, Cheddington Road Dunstable, Beds LU6 3TB Hayes, Middlesex UB4 9QG Pitstone, Leighton Buzzard LU7 9AE Home: 01582 602916 Home: 0208 841 1657 Home: 01296 660660 Mobile: 07904 958895 Work: 0208 878 4667 Mobile: 07917 021312 Mobile: 07974 268560 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Newsletter Editor Competition Secretary Mike Biss Pete Gregory 19 Dunstable Close 27 Lea Road, Ampthill Flitwick, Beds MK45 1JN Post Vacant Beds MK45 2PT Home: 01525 720299 Home: 01525 403405 Mobile: 07753 137415 Work: 01525 861673 Mobile: 07709 221115 [email protected] [email protected] Shirley Baldwin Antony Cox Anne Graves 35 Five Oaks, Caddington 10 Wellesbourne Gardens 20 Albert Road North Beds LU1 4JD High Wycombe, Bucks HP13 5QR Watford, Herts WD17 1QF Home: 01582 729922 Home: Home: 01923 819735 Mobile: 07974 085046 Mobile: 07961 073 024 Mobile: 07811 905360

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Clubnight Pub/Table Games Tuesday 3rd October At our clubnight venue The Red Lion PH Starts 8pm

THE BIRTHDAY BOX ! Happy birthday wishes this month go to David and Emma Muir who are another year wiser on 22nd October!

Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the CSMA Club, North West London Group Committee or those of the Editor. In addition, articles on maintenance, etc. are published in good faith and no liability can be accepted by the CSMA Club, North West London Group Committee or those of the Editor for the accuracy of such contributions or for damage or malfunction arising from their use, no matter how they are used. Visit The Big End on the Internet - www.csmanwl.com

The Big End - October 17 Page 2 NWL Group Editorial • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The McLaren split from Honda was completed at the Singapore GP and it meant a wave of other deals being announced to keep Honda in the sport. McLaren are now going to have engines for next year, taking over from Toro Rosso, who will now have the Honda engines. As part of this arrangement, Toro Rosso also had to let Carlos Sainz move from them to Renault (replacing Brit Jolyon Palmer). Also, Renault have said they won’t supply Red Bull next year, which might be a prob- lem for them, as they may then need to use the Honda engine as well.

After all that excitement, the race itself became very interest- ing when the rain came before the start, and then when the flag dropped, Sebastian Vettel went to cut across Verstappen but hadn’t seen his team mate make a fast start and then both Ferrari’s crashed into each other. Instead of taking points off of Hamilton, as expected, Lewis walked away with the win and extended his points lead.

The was out for the last round of the championship at Donington recently and I couldn’t believe it when it started up and fuel was leaking again from the carb fuel rail. I had to hold it in place until it had warmed up before it stopped. Why! I had cured this earlier in the year by moving the carbs closer together, but it looks like if I leave it for a couple of months, the O-rings dry out and leaks again. Will have to see if I can sort a permanent fix over the winter.

Nice to see Ian’s event go well and that his first attempt at organising an autotest was well received. He hasn’t been put off and may be back again next year.

The Autumn Autotest is fast approaching and I’m still in need of some more marshals, so if you are free on the 8th October, please let me know. Could also do with some entries as well. I’ll go for the four tests at a time route, with one lot before lunch and the other lot after lunch, so we should be able to get everything in within a reasonable time.

Locally, I’ve come across a situation where the local council have mucked up the speed limits, where leaving Flitwick it is derestricted to Westoning, but going the other way it is 40mph! The 40mph signs are a recent addition but whether they are supposed to be there or they haven’t done the other end (or put out any of the required repeater signs), I don’t know, but I have raised it with the council. Haven’t heard anything yet, even though it is over the “up to” 10 working days report time listed.

On the classic car scene, the government are planning on introducing next May, a rolling 40 year cut-off for needing an MOT, despite the majority of people consulted saying it was a bad idea. Their thinking was that as they are classic cars, they will be well looked after, but there is nothing stopping you getting a test done, if you want to. When I mentioned this at work, one chap who had an old Mini that’s been off the road for years, said great, I can put it on the road again!

If any of you fancy having a go at our Winter 12 Car season, that starts on the 5th January, then make sure you come along to the November clubnight, where Graeme Presswell will be giving a teach-in on all things to do with navigating (and competing in general) on our 12 Car rallies.

The National Quiz was last night and I have to say NWL only came 10th out 13, nine points behind the winners, who were Ipswich group. We weren’t doing too bad until we got to the last round, where it all went pear shaped. Also, how does 6 rounds of 10 questions work, if one round has 16 questions!

Mike B.

NOTE: Deadline for contributions to the November newsletter is Thursday 26th October

The Big End - October 17 Page 3 NWL Group Chairmans book • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Well August ended with a bit of a disappointment, as having taken the afternoon off work and driven all the way to Abingdon Airfield, I arrived on a really nice hot, and most importantly, dry summers day, to drive one of my dream cars, a GT40, only to find that someone had blown the bottom end on the engine, an hour before I arrived!! Blast and double blast and you know what! I was offered other cars, but declined, as I suspect most other people down to drive it, also did and instead I now have a new date, the 18th November. Let us hope it is at least dry on the day, as I’m certainly not looking forward to driving it in the wet! A good group of us turned up for bowling at last month’s clubnight, Shirley was awarded the wooden spoon (only because Ann wasn’t allowed to play having just had her operation), I can’t honestly remember who won, but it wasn’t me! A good time with plenty of laughs was had by all. My thanks to Alan Thurbon for organising the evening for us all to enjoy. Next on the list was the Chiltern Autotest, this year run for the very first time by Ian O’Connor, who also, by way of his extended family and friends probably provided over half the competitors! If memory serves me correctly, I believe there were some 19 entries in all. Alan Thurbon very kindly allowed me to use his Toyota Yaris and we had a great day. Alan was leading at the lunch time halt, but things went downhill in the afternoon as one might gleam from the results, which are hopefully published elsewhere in the newsletter. For once the weather stayed dry and the rain only came as we were helping Ian pack away the cones. My thanks to Ian who did a great job on his first attempt at organising an autotest and most importantly, everyone had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Which is what this kind of event is all about! Following Ian’s autotest on the Sunday, Doug and I drove up to Halsham on the Monday with the Lancia on the trailer to catch the ferry across to the Isle of Man for us to take part in the Isle of Man International Rally at the end of that week. Not wishing to repeat what Doug might say in his article on the rally, all I will say is that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, although a challenge with the rally effectively running over two nights and two days, this is a fantastic event. Yes, there were issues with some timing problems and the inevitable stage cancellations due to cars going off etc. but on the whole, it was a great event and a real test of car, driver and co-driver!. Finally, Steven and I enjoyed ourselves in Birmingham last weekend, driving around either as a team or singly, six different vehicles. First off was a Corsa, where one had to drive a mini autotest blind as fast as possible, just obeying the co-driver’s instructions! Needless to say that with Steven driving and me giving instructions we did well, on the other hand, with me driving and Steven instructing we did badly. Apparently I don’t listen!! Next up was another Corsa, but with the rear end jacked up on castors and one had to drive around three sets of bins as fast as possible. Great fun and jolly hard to control once the back end became unstuck! The third test was to drive a Reliant Robin three wheeler around a small autotest course. It was provided with a full cage etc. which was just was well, given the ease as which it fell over if one remotely went fast around the bends! Needless to say a real hoot and no I never ever want to drive one again!Fourth, was the double-decker, with the driver on top controlling the steering and the driver in the bottom car controlling the throttle and brakes (the car was an automatic). Again one had to drive around a set course in the fastest time possible and no, one couldn’t really see very much from the top! The fifth test was driving what was effectively two cars cut in half and then stuck back together. The driver in the front car controlling steering and the throttle etc. and the driver in the rear car just steering. Again one had to drive around a course in the fastest time possible. With both drivers turning the steering wheel the same way, the car simply crabbed between the cones, strange to watch and even stranger when one was in the car!! Continued on page 6…..

The Big End - October 17 Page 4 NWL Group Secretarys • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • By the time you get to read these words the Boundless by CSMA National Quiz will have taken place and hopefully our NWL teams put in a good performance and finished amongst the nation’s leading local groups. I am sure our Chairman or Editor will publish our performance elsewhere but I am having to write these notes a few days before the deadline due to being away for a few days in the New Forest.

Our Chiltern Autotest took place in early September and was in the capable hands of Ian O’Connor who did a fine job bearing in mind it was his first attempt at autotest organisation. There were a little less competitors than the normal numbers this year and Ian was desperately short of marshals but two sets of four tests were completed and all had a good day. The last grass autotest of the year will be the Autumn Autotest, to be run by Mike B on 8th October. Please do what you can to support this event and make it a great way to finish the summer season of autotests.

You may well find some words in this edition of how the Harrison twins faired on the recent Manx Rally in probably the last event that the wonderful Lancia Fulvia will take part in whilst in Doug’s possession. I am not too sure how the event went for them but they were included in the results list so I assume all went pretty well. I am sure Doug will soon be telling us all about the replacement vehicle to contest further historic stage rallies.

Last month’s clubnight saw our annual visit to the tenpin bowling lanes at Dunstable. Total combined scores for the two games played were lost in the system but I think I may have scraped victory however the highest individual game was bowled by Trevor Miller with a fine effort in his second game after perfecting his action in the first!

For the coming month we will be back at The Red Lion for our monthly clubnights where an evening of pub/table games will be laid out for your entertainment. With the oncoming winter series of 12 car rallies our November clubnight will be a talk and instruction on the various forms of navigation currently used on these rallies. If you have ever wondered the difference between a ’tulip diagram’ and a ‘herringbone’, plus other forms of navigation, then this will be the opportunity to have it all explained to you.

For the immediate future we have the following;

Tuesday 3rd October – NWL Clubnight will return to the function room at The Red Lion for the winter and for this evening a number of pub / table games will be available for your amusement. All light- hearted so please come and join us if you can – action starts at 8:00pm.

Sunday 8th October – NWL Autumn Autotest in the capable hands of Mike Biss. Full details and entry form elsewhere so come and enjoy the last grass autotest of the 2017 season and please offer your support to marshal if you can.

Thursday 19th October – NWL Chat and a Drink at The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead where a few of us normally gather from about 8:30pm onwards.

Tuesday 7th November – NWL Clubnight where a rally navigation class will be run by Pete Gregory and Graeme Presswell to explain the various forms of rally navigation now used on events. 8:00pm start at The Red Lion function room.

Thursday 16th November – NWL Chat and a Drink at The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead.

That’s about it for now – hope to see you at our events!

Alan T

The Big End - October 17 Page 5 NWL Group North London Region (NEL / NWL / WMx) Motor Sport Coordinators' Bulletin October 2017 Date Day Event (Status) Type of Event Club Champ Oct Sun 1 * Boanerges Autosolo (C) Cross between autotest/sprint Oxford MC Fri 6 * 12 Car Rally (C) Navigational rally West Suffolk MC Sun 8 * Autumn Autotest (C) Grass autotest CSMA NWL Region Sun 8 * Londinium Pedo () City of London walking T/H UH&ULMC Sat 14 Rockingham AutoSolo (C) Cross between autotest/sprint Peterborough MC Sun 22 Gravel Autotest (C) Loose surface autotest Bedford CC Nov Tue 7 12 Car Teach-in A guide to 12 Car navigation CSMA NWL Dec 2/3 Preston Rally (Nat B) Rough whites road rally Chelmsford MC Jan Fri 5 12 Car Rally (C) Navigational rally CSMA NWL Region Feb Fri 2 12 Car Rally (C) Navigational rally CSMA ? Region Mar Fri 2 12 Car Rally (C) Navigational rally CSMA ? Region Apr Fri 6 12 Car Rally (C) Navigational rally CSMA ? Region Licence required: (I/Nat A/Nat B/Cm) = MSA Licence, (C) = Club Card, () = Nothing, * = Regs available Past Events Chiltern Autotest Ian O'Connor had his first autotest organising experience and it seems it went well. With 19 entries and four tests laid out, the event managed to get through the 24 runs before the rain arrived. Future Events Autumn Autotest The last of our summer season of grass events will again be running at the venue at Stanbridgeford, but this time organised by yours truly. This will be a passenger carrying event and is held on a smooth(ish) grass field, with nice easy all-forward tests on offer. They are suitable for your standard car and the entry fee is £20 (juniors £10). Regs are out and all offers to marshal or enter to myself on [email protected] or 07753 137415. 12 Car Teach-in This will be an evening for people interested in understanding the basics of navigation on our 12 Car rallies, with help on the procedures at events, from arrival at the start, to the finish. There will also be be guidance for drivers with how to approach the event and equipment needed. This will be run by NWL at their Hemel Hempstead clubnight venue in November. This will also be open to the invited clubs. The 12 Car season will be four events again, running from January to April. Hollstar Intergroup Competition This has now been cancelled for this year, as West Middlesex were unable to run the event with "the current commitments and time pressures on the committee". Other Invites Please see the calendar above for other events we have an invite to. I can get regs for any of these, just contact me if interested. We will be invited to all the Anglian Motor Sport Club autosolos/autotests throughout the year.

Mike Biss: NLR Motor Sports Coordinator Tel: 07753 137415 E-mail: [email protected]

NWL Autumn Autotest - Sunday 8th October Another new venue, Stanbridgeford, Beds (near old field) Entry Fee £20 (Juniors £10) All forwards tests on smooth grass, passengers required Great fun day out driving - Marshals required Organiser Mike Biss – [email protected] or 07753 137415 Regs available from Mike B or http://boundlessevents.uk

Chairman’s notebook continued from page 4……

The final event was driving some off road buggies around a short track and again timed. Very, very rough and one struggled to maintain one’s foot on the accelerator pedal! Needless, to say Steven beat me on this!

A great day out and certainly recommended if one likes some unusual driving experiences, but best done with either a friend or family member as one can spend most of the time taking the Michael out of one another!

Unfortunately I am in Belfast at Conference for the October clubnight, which is on the 3rd and is an evening of pub games organised by Alan Thurbon, so please do try and give him your support. Hopefully I see you at noggin on the 19th at the Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead. Mike H.

The Big End - October 17 Page 6 NWL Group Rally Isle Of Man Report

The International Rally Isle of Man was held this year on Thursday 14th, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th September.

The 2017 Rally Isle of Man, now in its 55th year is comprised of 3 events:

International Rally Isle of Man National Rally Isle of Man incorporating Rallee Classicagh Trophy Rally Isle of Man

The Rally Classicagh also counted as two rounds in the Mintex Old Stager Asphalt Historic Rally Championship, with Thursday night and Friday Day as round 1 and Friday Night and Saturday as round 2.

The Format was: 3 Days, 21 stages, all on tarmac.

Thursday Night Leg 1 – 5 stages, Friday Day Leg 2 – 6 stages, Friday Night Leg 3 – 5 stages, Saturday Day Leg 4 – 5 stages. 159 Stage Miles and 364 Total Miles. 2 dedicated Town Centre Spectator Stages. 1 Super Special Stage with side by side Stage Starts with the Stage finish for the final stage at the TT Grandstand Finish Line.

Recce this year was restricted to four days, either Saturday/Sunday or Tuesday/Wednesday so Mike and I travelled over to the Isle of Man from Heysham on the Monday, this year without our trusted service crew (mainly due to family and work commitments) and picked up a hire car on the Tuesday morning to do the Recce in. Despite being cautioned about keeping to 30mph on the stage routes, some competitors still insisted on driving too fast and cutting the corners! This caused a head on collision between two competitors (one European and left hand drive who went right and the other went left and met head on!) needless to say the Police were far from happy and luckily only one driver went home with cracked ribs.

On Tuesday the wind had got up with big gusts and some of the car ferries didn’t sail over, so a number of competitors were without their cars! Their cars did eventually arrive late on Wednesday.

The Lancia sailed through scrutineering in the afternoon on Wednesday, but due to some very harsh dips in a number of the fords I decided to remove our fog/cornering lamps, as if I hadn’t the roads would have! We then retired to a lovely Italian Restaurant in the evening to celebrate our joint birthdays

Thursday Night

This consisted of five stages, SS1 Marine Drive (back by special permission and all drivers were briefed before the start to treat with respect), SS2 Clanna Road 1, SS3 Villa Marina (The super special stage), SS4 King Edward Bay, and SS6 Baldhoon. We started Stage 1 around 6.30pm on full wets as heavy rain was forecast. We were delayed on starting Stage 2 and eventually had to drive thru in convoy, as a number of cars had gone off due to the very wet conditions, including Stuart Anderson in a lovely Grp4 (he went straight on at a square left and completely flattened the front on the car. Happily SS3 was still relatively dry and we found ourselves at the start, lined up against a fast local driver in a Peugeot 106 on the super special spectator stage down on Douglas Promenade. But we kept our heads and completed the stage without any mistakes, which was more than some managed (helps having competed on Autotests ). Stage 5 had a nasty ford at the end, which we successfully crossed slowly using 1st gear. We then drove back to service at around 11.30pm, glad to have survived with the car still in one piece despite the heavy rain and treacherous conditions. Back in service we found the Saab 96 car 128 parked up, having suffered a burnt out Alternator on SS6, but they managed to get back on the battery.

Friday Day

This consisted of six Stages, SS6 Little London 1, SS7 Kella 1, SS8 Tholt y Will 1, SS9 Sand Quarry 1, SS10 Clanna Road 2 and SS11 Oatlands. We started stage 6 at around 10.30am. The weather had cleared with the sun shining, but we kept the wet tyres on as we expected the roads to still be wet. On the first stage of the morning SS6, we had our first moment of the rally, just after a cattle grid and when going downhill, I lost the back end over a crest and K right. We completed a 270 spin, but I luckily managed to keep the car on the tarmac between the ditches and restarted the car without losing too much time (but Mike had to exit the car to warn the car following that we were across the narrow road, but for some reason, they never appeared!). Mike reported afterwards that 12 years previous, Russell and he had spun at the previous corner . Stage 7 was particularly rough for the first part, with the Lancia crashing the sump guard a number of times over the bad jumps (The Irish Mini guys were really complaining about the state of the “tarmac”) and it was a case of lifting off to preserve the car. After Stage 8 we serviced and quickly changed the tyres for “dry Soft” as

The Big End - October 17 Page 7 NWL Group the roads had dried out faster than expected. Stage 9 included a loop, however we only did one lap, due to the MSA being unhappy with the Merge. This stage also include a 350m straight, with a series of nasty dips and crests to punish you if the car got out of step. Needless to say at the end junction ( a K left) the marshals were at least 50m back! Stage 11 was cancelled due to a number of cars again being off. We then headed back to service at around 6pm, grateful to have survived. Mike was particularly impressed with Car 146, a MG Midget which was surviving the punishment, but only just (the driver admitting it had been a real baptism of fire and couldn’t believe the combination of rough tarmac and thru the middle of village stages). The historic Saab 96 was not so lucky and suffered another burnt out alternator and sadly had to retire (when I looked under the bonnet at the wiring, it was not surprising!)

Friday Night

This consisted of five stages, SS12 Castle Mooar and SS13 Castle Rushen (both thru the coastal town of Castle Town and was a spectator stages), SS14 Oatlands 2, SS15 Rhenab, and SS16 Tholt y Will 2. We started Stage 12 at around 8.30pm with clear skies still and the forecast of showers later in the evening never materialised. We really enjoyed ourselves driving thru Castle Town and finally out along the sea wall (the lights picking up the sand and sea!) to finish stage 13. Stage 14 was great but we started Stage 15 late due to a car stuck in the Ford towards the end of the stage. Eventually we got started, the stage was very tight and twisty in places and we came across more cars well off the road, including a Peugeot 106 on its roof in the middle of the road and a Nova minus the nearside front wheel but no car in the ford!. On the link section to Stage 16 the Lancia lost main beam and therefore the Driving lamps as well (I haven’t looked yet, but suspect the column switch again!) so we completed Stage 16 with only dip headlamps (the plan was for us to start and then pull over to let the Sprite go ahead, so I could then drive to the end of the stage on his lights. But when I got out of the car, we had one of the Japanese behind us and there was no sign of the Sprite! The driver didn’t understand any English, so I waved them to go past us and got back in the car). Luckily, the stage was fairly open and we didn’t lose much time in the end and we drove back to a much depleted service area around 12 o’clock and retired to the hotel.

Saturday Day

This consisted of five stages, SS17 Little London 2, SS18 Kella 2, SS19 Sand Quarry 2, SS20 Marine Drive 2 and SS21 Classic WestBaldwin. We started around 9.30am and the weather although overcast was dry and again the forecast for showers held off all day. Stage 17 & 18 were very enjoyable, especial- ly Little London in the daylight!. The MSA had now cleared the use of the merge on Sand Quarry (although we couldn’t see any difference!) and again this was a lovely stage to drive, very fast and open, but were puzzled by at least a mile long rubber strip along the road? All was revealed at the finish where a very sick sat minus a front wheel and hub, apparently the driver thought he only had a puncture and continued at speed only to demolish first the tyre, then the wheel and finally the hub! SS20 was sadly cancelled due to a car going over the cliff wall onto the rocks (we believe the crew were got out and taken to hospital and hopefully they will make a full recovery, but Marine Drive is unlikely to be run again in the future ). SS21 went down the TT mountain course to the finish at the TT Grandstand was the icing on the cake, to what was another great finish, fantastic fun, but exhaust- ing (come back the service crew, all is forgiven!).

So out of 150 starters, we started as car 148 and eventually finished 88th overall and 5th in class H2 out of 96 finishers. Gill Cotton in a Porsche 911 driven by Peter Lythell finished 54 overall (well done Gill and Peter). The Midget also made it to the finish in 94th place.

In the Old Stager Championship we finished 2nd in Class C in both rounds, and having played our Joker in round 1, I’m now up to joint 8th in the Drivers Championship and Mike is 5th for Co-Drivers. But sadly this will be our last event this year as I have decided not to travel all the way up to the Cheviot Stages in Northumberland.

So what next? Well I have decided to sell the Lancia whist it is still in one piece and have taken up the offer of a 1978 Vauxhall Chevette HS SOHC 2300, which is being fully refurbished to my spec, hopefully it will be ready for the Start of the championship in March 2018, so watch this space for updates and some pics

Cheers Doug

The Big End - October 17 Page 8 NWL Group Member Communities Communique

[email protected] September 2017 Update

Club Council

The Club Council met on Tuesday 5 th September at Prospect House, London for their 58 th Meeting.

The first item on the Agenda was the election of the Club Leader. The Club Council were delighted to re-elect Heather Glanville as the Club Leader for a further 3 years.

Heather was delighted to have received the backing of the Club Council Members and vowed to continue her work in leading the Member Communities forward, through her dedication, enthusiasm and pure dedication to achieve an increased level of engagement with the Member Communities Groups.

Heather also introduced the idea of looking at alternative methods of electing the Club Leadership in an effort to expand the reach of the positions further than they are currently.

The Interest Group leaders then continued to submit their reports to the meeting, with the majority reflecting on another successful summer of activity. The Local Groups Representatives have also been busy exploring a number of initiatives to help raise the engagement between members and the Local Groups. Mike Millward added that he had been delighted to present a Club Award recently to long time Farnborough Group stalwart and previous Region Representative – Ian Moir.

The Club Treasurer, Madeleine Grubb provided the Club Council with an update regarding the ongoing budget process and the feedback from the June Networking Meeting. Madeleine will shortly be circulating a paper outlining the progress being made and the slight amendments in policy regarding the Groups financial procedures.

Head of Member Communities, Nick Hoath provided an update on the recent website User Experience testing and highlighted the most significant issues and how they will be addressed. Nick did stress however, that the website issues will not be resolved overnight and some degree of patience will be required. However, resolutions to the most significant issues concerning the navigation around the website are already well progressed with a number of improvements being considered.

Newly elected Club Leader, Heather Glanville updated the meeting with regard to the progress being made following the Groups Networking Meeting in June. Heather was keen to stress her commitment to ensuring all the issues raised are in one way or another being addressed and as such the meeting outcomes lead directly to improvements in the way the Member Communities operate. Heather indicated the notes from the Networking Meeting Breakout Sessions will be circulated to all attendees and Group Secretaries showing the actions being undertaken. Heather also indicated that the Club Management Group will be meeting in October to establish the short and long term impacts of the Networking Meeting findings and how these will contribute to the Club Leader’s 3-year plan.

The Big End - October 17 Page 9 NWL Group Nick Hoath updated the Club Council with the likely impact the new Data Protection regulations will have on the Member Communities procedures and practices. Nick explained that as the new regulations don’t come in to force until May 2018, we do have a little time to create appropriate procedures, however the priority is to ensure we develop methods of staying in touch with our members whilst remaining compliant within the new regulations. On a related subject, Nick also added his congratulations and thanks for the great work the Groups are doing in submitting Event Notifications and Attendance Returns which are both at excellent levels.

Volunteer of the Year 2017

Classic Vehicle Group Secretary and North East London Newsletter Editor, Dave Rosher has just been awarded Boundless Volunteer of the Year 2017. Many Members will know of Dave’s untiring work for his fellow Members and the enthusiasm and dedication he shows to really make a difference.

Here’s Classic Vehicle Group Leader, Bernard Ward presenting Dave with his award at the CVG Sussex Spree……. before Dave was straight back to work marshalling the start of this great event!

Congratulations Dave and keep up the great work!

Events Equipment

If your Group are organising a large-scale event, or attending a public show, Member Communities have a range Events Equipment your Group can borrow. From small inflatable marquees, to flags and banners, we have everything you might need to really show off your Group in the best possible light.

All equipment will be couriered to you and collected after the event has finished. For more details, contact the Member Communities team who will be able to send you more information.

The Big End - October 17 Page 10 NWL Group Organisation Chart

Several Members have requested an organisation chart showing both the Member Communities structure and that of the team in Head Office and the various roles individuals are responsible for.

CSMA Board

Governors Club Council

Club Management Group

Club Leader * Deputy Club Leader Club Treasurer * Club Captain Independent Council Member(s)

3 x Local Groups Camping & Caravanning Social Breaks & Motoring Groups Representatives Leader Holidays Leader Leader & Dep. Leader

* The Club Leader and Club Treasurer are also members of the CSMA Board of Directors

37 x Local Group Classic Vehicle Karting Motorcycling Motorsports, Marshalling Committees Group Committee Committee Committee & 4x4 Committee

Member Communities Team

Nick Hoath, Head of Member Communities. Responsible for the leadership of the team and all the relevant issues (including finances) for the Member Communities within Britannia House and the direct liaison with the Club Leadership.

Bethany Adams, Senior Member Communities Executive Responsible for providing direct support for the C&C, CVG, Motorsports, 4x4 and Marshalling Interest Groups, plus a number of Local Groups. Bethany is also responsible for the Member Communities aspects of the Boundless Website.

Kadie Crichton, Member Communities Executive Responsible for providing direct support for the Social Breaks Group, Motorcycling and Karting Groups, plus a number of Local Groups. Kadie is also responsible for the Online Groups.

Joselyn Williams, Member Communities Administrator Responsible for the receipt and processing of all SENs, Attendance Returns and Expenses Claims plus the administration aspects of the team.

The Member Communities Team are in the Operations Division within Britannia House, headed by the Operations Director, Ailsa Suttie.

The Big End - October 17 Page 11 NWL Group Group E-Shots

With the onset of new technology and new communication methods, our use of emails has inevitably expanded. Not only are mass emails easier to produce, they are also considerably more cost effective when compared to printed mailshots. It is also possible to track the effectiveness of an e- shot by monitoring how many recipients ‘open’ an email or ‘click’ on one of the links within the email. This tracking is virtually impossible with printed mailshots.

However, e-shots are not without their drawbacks. If we bombard members with too many, they will simply not read them and at worst ‘unsubscribe’, preventing any future contact until they re- subscribe.

It is also critical to get the content of emails correct. Too much information and the recipient is unlikely to read them. Less can certainly mean more when it comes to digital communications.

The Member Communities Team are able to deliver both Interest Group and Local Group E- shots, however in an effort not to overload Members within a specified area (either geographical or interest) it is recommended that no more than 3-4 emails are sent to any one individual from any one Group each year. It is also important that the e-shot has a clear purpose and ideally contains no more than 3 topics (or events).

The process for requesting an E-shot for a Group is as follows.

Decide on the event date or booking deadline Work back 4-5 weeks from that date to establish the ideal e-shot timing Work back a further 2 weeks to allow the Member Communities team time to generate the email design and pull the member data (the team need these two weeks to ensure time to design and proof the e-shot and then book it in for sending) Email, phone or use the Promotion Proposal form to contact Member Communities at least 6 weeks prior to the event date or booking deadline to discuss a potential e-shot Ensure you are aware when the e-shot is likely to be sent and be ready to respond to any enquiries it generates

E-shots can be very successful at generating interest in an event, however success is not guaranteed, so don’t be disheartened if at first the response is not what you are hoping for.

Update from the June 2017 Networking Meeting

Group Secretaries and all attendees at the June 2017 Networking Meeting will shortly be receiving the collated notes from the Groups Networking Meeting Breakout sessions. These include many of the issues raised and the subsequent actions being undertaken. The Club Council will be working through the vast array of suggestions and observations, however if your Group have any feedback they would like to add, please ensure your Club Council representative is aware of this before the 21 st November Club Council meeting.

The Big End - October 17 Page 12 NWL Group Attendance Recording

We currently record each Groups attendance by collecting Attendance Returns from each event organiser. We then enter this information in to the database held in Head Office which in turn automatically recognises those individuals who are currently members. It is this automated checking of Membership status that often explains why the figures published are occasionally slightly different to those held by the Groups themselves.

At the recent Club Council meeting, Nick Hoath was delighted to report the fantastic submission rates for both SENs (99.6%) and Attendance returns (96%). Well done to all those Groups who have achieved the 100% submission target this year.

Over 80s Insurance

There has been a change of policy with regards to our Insurers viewpoint on those volunteers over 80 years of age organising events. Previously anyone over 80 was required to complete a health declaration form, however this requirement is now no longer necessary.

It should be worth noting however, that should a concern be raised as to the well-being or fitness of any member who is organising an activity for their fellow members, then these concerns should be raised with the Head of Member Communities who may subsequently request a Health Declaration is completed.

Induction Days & Social Media Training

Due to the low numbers of new Committee Members requesting attendance, the proposed Induction Days have been postponed until next year. However, the Member Communities Team will be organising a number of Social Media Workshops around the country during November and we would encourage anyone with an interest in this particular aspect of their Group to let us know. Thanks to those Members who have already indicated their interest in attending, we will be in touch shortly with details of the proposed dates and venues.

Eligibility

All Groups have been sent the updated Eligibility Leaflet circulated at the Association AGM in June. If you would like further clarification, you can view the document here. If any Groups would like any further printed copies sent to them, please contact Member Communities.

Junior Membership

Following a little confusion recently, the Boundless Junior Membership processes are now all sorted. Children aged 10-17 years of age who are a relative of a full Member are eligible to join Boundless. They will not be able to vote at, or receive notification of, general meetings (i.e. AGM) and will not receive a magazine or any marketing communications. They will however receive an appropriate Membership card allowing them to compete in MSA regulated events etc. representing Boundless by CSMA. Junior membership will cease automatically when they reach the age of 18, however they would then be eligible to apply to be a full voting member. Junior Membership will cost £5 per year.

The Big End - October 17 Page 13 NWL Group What have our Groups been up to

Fife Group, now renamed Kingdom of Fife, have recently been visiting Eden Hill Brewery, followed (thankfully not on the same day!) by a visit

The Boundless Motorcyclists recently enjoyed a visit to the historic Chimay Classic bike racing in Belgium. Members enjoyed seeing the wonderful array of classic motorcycles racing so

Lothian Group enjoyed a tasty visit to one of the fastest growing crisp factories in

Pendle Group enjoyed great weather and some beautiful classic cars at their

The Classic Vehicle Group were kept busy at the Silverstone Classic back in July. A great display

The Big End - October 17 Page 14 NWL Group Many a shiny car to be seen at the ‘Sussex Spree’ this year. Our Classic Vehicle Group continue to go from strength to strength, enjoying some great events this summer.

Interest Group Elections

During November and December we will be inviting Members to nominate themselves for election to one of the eight Interest Group Committees. We will also be trying to recruit a volunteer to head up the two Online Groups.

If you feel you’d like to get more involved with any of the Interest Groups, please contact the following Group Leaders who will be able to provide you with more information.

Camping and Caravanning Leader: Mike Docker [email protected] Classic Vehicle Group Leader: Bernard Ward [email protected] 4x4 Group Leader: Pete Gregory [email protected] Karting Group Leader: Peter Jones [email protected] Marshalling Coordinator: Graham Davis [email protected] Motorcycle Group Leader: Richard Ashcroft [email protected] Motoring Interest Groups Leader: Ian Jarrett [email protected] Motorsports Group Leader: Mike Biss [email protected] Social Breaks and Holidays Leader: Bill Brook [email protected]

Future Items for the Communique

Do you have something you’d like to be included in the Communique?

Maybe some photos of one of your recent events, or a major milestone being reached by one of your members, or even just an update on something your group have been doing? Let us know and we’ll endeavour to fit in!

Email us at: [email protected] or Telephone: 01273 744763

The Big End - October 17 Page 15 NWL Group Diary 2017 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • CLUBNIGHT Venue NOGGIN Venue The Red Lion, The Red Lion, London Road, London Road, Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead HP3 9TD HP3 9TD October

Sun 1st F1 - Malaysia Tue 3rd NWL Clubnight - Pub games - The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead 6th-8th WRC - Spain Sun 8th NWL Autumn Autotest - Stanbridgeford Sun 8th F1 - Japan Thu 19th NWL Chat and a Drink - The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead Sun 22nd F1 - United States Sun 29th F1 - Mexico 27th-29th WRC - Wales Rally GB

November

Tue 7th NWL Clubnight - 12 Car Navigation teach-in - The Red Lion Sun 12th F1 - Brazil Thu 16th NWL Chat and a Drink - The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead 17th-19th WRC - Australia Sun 26th F1 - Abu Dhabi

December

Tue 5th NWL Clubnight - Xmas Fun & Games - The Red Lion Thu 21st NWL Chat and a Drink - The Red Lion, Hemel Hempstead

Dates to reserve: Friday 5th January - NWL 12 Car rally

The Big End - October 17 Page 16 NWL Group