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GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

August 2010 Newsletter No 31

Once again John our Chairman opened the meeting but with a difference, he told us two jokes which went down very well and set the tone of the evening.  Our thanks were expressed to Tony and Jane who once again arranged an excellent few days in Wales, there is a write up on the web site so I need to say no more except that the route and trips selected by Tony were very picturesque and far superior to the organised run on the Sunday.  Well done Tony and Jane.

Peter and Derek have been feeling somewhat guilty about taking all the pleasures offered by the Club and not being involved in organisation (apart from Pete being the sweeper for the Caper).  They have volunteered to organise a run in July 2011 to Shelsley Walsh for the Classic Hillclimb Meeting, picnicking on the hill and watching participants of the speed trial.  So any hillclimbing enthusiast will enjoy this trip.

It was also proposed that we have a BBQ during the summer of 2011 and rematch at skittles with the Cotswold Classic Car Club. 

Gupshill Manor has now been booked for the Christmas Dinner on the 4th December and there was a rush of members to be on the list.   The deposit of £10.00 per person to be paid at the September meeting.

We now have the new adhesive Club Badge which means that the old one is no longer in use.  So all those with the old style will unfortunately have to part with £3.50 for the new version. 

We heard that there had been a charity race to raise money for a wheelchair for a young teenager from Cheltenham who suffers from a very rare disease.  Thirteen year old Sophie Wood is only one of five a year who has ataxia-telangiectasia, which is a neuro-degenerative disease affecting the body and causing severe disability.  Sophie’s condition is expected to worsen in the coming years and  will require a wheelchair within nine months.  So that she could enjoy a better quality of life she, her mother and brother have gone to live on the Canary Islands leaving dad at home in Cheltenham, which he finds very heartbreaking.  We have donated £200.00 to this worthy cause which will help the family purchase the much needed wheelchair.

Brian and Teresa have organised a run for Tuesday 24th August, with the last run of this year being on Thursday 2nd September, two/three weeks earlier than usual due to the drawing in of the nights.  This will be Steve and Marion’s second run since joining the Club.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

July 2010 Newsletter No 30

Our Chairman John opened the July meeting thanking all members for their help and support before and on the day of the Cotswold Caper.  Raffle prizes were in abundance and the ticket sellers did an excellent sales pitch as usual under the leadership of Joyce, selling in excess of £600.00 worth of tickets on the day.   The car parking attendants were extremely efficient.   Coffee/tea and bacon rolls were catered for by St Roses and it was suggested by Brian S that a tin (known as ‘seed money’)  be available for the entrants to put any loose change they had towards the school funds, this resulted in approximately £50.00. 

A large donation will be presented, at a date to be agreed, to Mrs Billington who will accept it on behalf of St Roses before she retires Christmas 2010.  She will be sadly missed by all those who have had the pleasure of meeting her.

The Caper was flagged off by Ryan who is a pupil at St Roses and he was given the choice of which car he wanted to start, needless to say he chose the MG TD owned by our Club Member Derrick Newman.

Graham has received 4 letters of thanks for the well organised and interesting Cotswold Caper, one saying what a marvelous day, and Roger Boyce who has been attending the Caper for a number of years wrote saying that Paddy his dog had had a great time.  We always look out for Paddy as he is such a great character, think he might even help with the navigation!

There was one comment from a driver that the roads were too narrow, which meant that his passenger had to concentrate!!   Would he have preferred motorways to be used!!

It was suggested from the floor that picnic sites be marked in next years programme.  Pete who acted as sweeper thought that an ordnance survey map with the route shown would be helpful next year to pin point the exact location for the recovery vehicles, should we have a reoccurrence of this years breakdowns.  Six drivers and their passengers were most appreciative of Pete when their vehicles broke down.

The Norwich Club have already booked 12 rooms at The Crown Inn  Frampton Mansell ready for the 2011 Caper and  John and Graham are already preparing to look at a new route later this month.  Adrian will co-ordinate the adverts which all members have been asked to source, full page £50.00, half page £30.00, black and white print only.  All members at the meeting were in full agreement that the 2011 charity should be LINC (Leukaemia & Intensive Chemotherapy) we know of two members who have benefited from this organization.

Graham met an old member of the Gloucestershire MGOC who had an original metal car badge and she was willing to part with this at a knock down price of £12.00!   Members were in agreement that we should change the design of our adhesive car badge to the original one.

Gupshill Manor was proposed for the Christmas Dinner which will be on the 4th December and Tim gave his approval as he has experienced many a Christmas meal in the past.  A provisional reservation has already been made.

Chris and Betty have organised  our next evening run which  is on Tuesday 27th July, we also have a visit arranged by John and Mo to the Black Country Museum on Sunday 18th July and coming up on the 1st August is Adrian and Rita’s outing to Bletchley Park.

John welcomed a new member Pete Deal to the club.  We also wished Janet Glew a happy birthday, not all members attend meetings on their special day and also birthday wishes to Graham Sutton who would be celebrating on Friday.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

June 2010 Newsletter No 29

The June meeting was short of our Secretary and his wife who were once again on holiday but as they had been working hard on the Caper their apologies were accepted,  as a well earned rest was necessary before the 4th of July, ‘D day’ or rather ‘The Cotswold Caper’.

John informed us that we now had 114 entries which are 10 up on last month, this is excellent and we have ordered a sunny day for the event.   This being the last meeting before the Caper the helpers were informed that they were needed wearing Club shirts or blouses at St Roses at 7.30am prompt.  This met with the usual moans and groans as too early for the retired ones, but they always come up trumps (thank you Mazda man) and arrive on time, with the thought of a bacon butty to start the day.

At the May meeting members were asked which Charity we should support for the 2011 Caper, which although a long way off needs to be thought about early.  Brian Stephens who has first hand experience with LINC (Leukaemia & Intensive Chemotherapy) gave a brief outline of how this charity helps those in need.  It was started 12 years ago and the patient’s needs are the first and foremost priority.  If financial support is necessary for the well being of the patient this will be given.   Members were fully in favour of helping this Charity for 2011.

It was also proposed and unanimously agreed that we should ask local companies to advertise in the 2011 Caper brochure and Adrian has agreed to take on this challenge, which takes the pressure off John and Graham.

9+ cars will be visiting the Black Country Living Museum on the 18th July and will be meandering in convoy along the quiet roads, so locals beware of slow moving MGs.

As the Caper is finishing at The Park Hotel Falfield, it was proposed that we held our Christmas meal at the venue, but due to the locality members were not keen as it meant quite a trek for the majority.  Graham and John are now looking into a venue nearer to Gloucester.

Instead of a speaker this month we had a quiz which was arranged by Teresa and Brian.  We were asked to identify cars from 22 emblems, Teresa was very kind and listed the cars on a separate sheet of paper by Car Company/Car, but unfortunately this did prove very hard, the cars dated from a 1905 Daimler Limousine to a 1976 Triumph Stag.  We all thought we were car enthusiasts but this task was very difficult, our new members Gethin and Jan put us all to shame by naming 19 of them, well done. 

Teresa has the reputation with certain of us members as being the female ‘David Bailey’and had we know when we visited the Haynes Motor Museum that she was taking photographs of the car emblems we would most certainly have taken more notice.

It was an excellent quiz and our thanks to her for her imagination; perhaps she should patent this idea.?
 
Sunday 20th June is the Kemble Air Show organised by Adrian and Rita who also have their Tuesday run on the 22nd June, both events start at Greasy Joes in Cirencester, I am beginning to think that Adrian and Rita have shares in this cafe!!

In closing, compliments to John and Graham for the Caper route, which the helpers tried out on Sunday 13th June.   The route is always excellent but this year I think they have excelled themselves.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

May 2010 Newsletter No 28

I would like to say thank you to our Chairman John for putting together a very informative News Letter from the April meeting whilst I was away enjoying myself in Northern Ireland.  Luckily we used the ferry so did not get held up by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, which kicked off the morning we were leaving Belfast.  Our hotel was in close proximity to the area where they had the bombings, so it was quite an eventful week.

It was good to see so many members, including new members, Richard Heaven, James and Jane Chattwood, Gethin and Janice Jones and Raymond and Lynn Bird, attend the meeting which was the AGM. 

The meeting was a little late in starting as everyone seemed keen to chat, but John true to form got things underway and welcomed all members.   Committee Member Adrian has recently taken early retirement, so he was presented with a Workshop Maintenance Manual to keep him out of mischief as he will now have plenty of time to give some TLC to Meryl and Alfie.

Graham gave his report as Secretary and it was surprising how many activities the Club had organised during 2009/2010.  He thanked Joyce and Mo, for organizing the monthly  Swindle which last year netted £423.55 for the Club, well done both.  Graham asked members whether they would once again like Club fleeces, but Adrian (Mazda man) thought we had been fleeced enough!!! 

Sue as treasurer gave a brief indication of the financial situation which is very healthy.  There was one question from Tony, who wanted to know if the purchased of the 4 walky talkies were for members use, these are most useful for traffic control on the Cotswold Caper, but should the members wish to borrow them they can for a small charge!

We have 104 entries to date for the Cotswold Caper, and there is still time for more entries to come in.

The Committee were re-elected on block, ie Chairman John, Secretary Graham, Treasurer Sue, plus committee members Adrian, Brian and Trevor.

We received two letters of thanks from Sir Henry Elwes and Col Mike Bennet for the donation given to the Army Cadets Trust at our last meeting.  It is good to know that the donation was appreciated and would be put to good use.

If any members have ideas on refreshing the content of our website perhaps they would contact Adrian, who pointed out  as a matter of interest that we have had 43,000 hits on the web, but would appear that visits are very few on Tuesday and Thursday, someone suggested it was because it was pensioners rest day!

John and Graham have been re-elected to organise the 2011 Cotswold Caper which will take place on the 3rd July, Graham has already had an enquiry from the a Norfolk Club who want to secure several places on the event.  Members were asked to think of a charity to support next year.

We are always looking for outing and speaker ideas and Joyce suggested a trip in the spring to see the snowdrops at Colesbourne and a presentation on behalf of Help for Heroes.  Both are being looked in to.

We were enlightened by Grahams findings that the Gloucestershire MGOC was started in 1981 and met at the Ship Inn Brimscombe,  so perhaps next year we should have a 30th birthday celebration.  Talking of celebrations, Brian and Lynn Stephens celebrate their Golden Wedding this month and our congratulations go to them for many more years together, neither have asked for parole!

Steve and Sue have organised a run through the Forest of Dean, ending at a local hostelry on the 25th May and we have been told to watch out for the local boars!!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

March 2010 Newsletter No 28

With Sue being on one of her “rare” holidays, it has fallen upon myself, John, to write this month’s newsletter: here goes :-

Our speaker for this evening was Sir Henry W.G. Elwes  KCVO, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, who agreed to sit in on our normal bun-fight before his presentation.

2010 Caper The number of entries for this years Caper is still on the increase now having reached 84.  The Committee again pleaded for more Raffle prizes as well as Members to each obtain a £10 donation for a one line advert in the Rally Guide.  Remember, all monies go to our main charity this year, St. Rose’s School. Raffle tickets will be distributed to Members at a later date. The generous gift of two drums of 20/50 oil will be sold off to Members, in Gallon handfuls for the bargain price of £14 with all money again going to the Charity. Once again Members were not slow in volunteering for duties on the day which makes the work for the organisers that much easier, 21 names were listed.

2010 Programme 27th April  Evening run: details handed out by Laurence and Jane for a 6.30pm start from Birdlip Viewing layby !!!! Welsh Trip still OK with no more details available. The Ireland Trip – a late change of the first and last hotel made by the ferry company and we await confirmation. Gala Club Charity Event now on 22nd August. Ted Elwes, brother of Sir Henry, promoted the Bredon Vintage & Classic Car Rally on the 30th August which by the way is already in this years programme. Last year, 300 cars attended with 1300 visitors; getting to be quite a big local event. Over 15 members were interested in attending this year and Ted is prepared to arrange a club area.  

Get ready ----- 2011 Caper date will be 3rd July ----Volunteers were requested for organising this event but, again, no hands went up !!!

Club SiteThis is still proving very successful with over 40,000 visits.  Ideas will be very welcome to “freshen up” the home page. Reports of Club runs together with photos would be appreciated.

Sir Henry Elwes, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire was this evening’s speaker.  The position of Lord Lieutenant was created by Queen Elizabeth in 1588 with the task of basically listing all capable people in the County who were suitable for military action. Previously this was carried out by the High Sheriff. Today with 20/30 deputies, they are the eyes and ears for the Queen for all that occurs in the County.
Not everything goes to plan --- during the siege of Gloucester, the Lord lieutenant was staying in Sudeley Castle when he was attacked and the holes from the cannons can still be seen.  As a Lord Lieutenant one needs to keep slim especially as the uniform is expensive and tight fitting, making it difficult to drive. Two incidents were recalled by Sir Henry, one where the sword he was wearing jammed him in the car and he struggled to get out and a similar incident with another Lord Lieutenant who also was jammed in his car, because of his sword but he did not make it and the Queen ended up introducing herself to the dignitaries.

There is still a lot of military duties required especially with the Reservists and ensuring the cooperation of their employers to release them, the Regular Units regarding parades, funerals and presentation of the Elizabeth Cross to close relatives of soldiers killed in action.  The Army Cadet movement and their instructors also demand his time especially now they receive no Government support.    Presentation of Queen’s Awards to Industry, Police, Fire and Ambulance and persons awarded  with OBE or MBE who wish the presentation to be held locally, all require his presence in uniform. Visits to Prisons, Garden Parties the list is endless.   Organise 30 Royal visits to the County each year, be present at JP swearing-in and Citizenship Awards ceremonies. Sir Henry is the Queen’s Representative in the County or rather two counties because South Gloucestershire  is included for Ceremonial duties. 

However, Sir Henry does have other interests --- Motor cycles and Cars.  He started with Motor Cycles  and when his teacher in 1952 took delivery of a Jaguar XK 120 decided that was for him. When aged 19 he bought a XK120 in part exchange with a Austin 10 for £297 and Comprehensive insurance at £25. Times have changed. With a Austin Healey Frog-eyed Sprite, Sir Henry has raced against the likes of Graham Hill and Stirling Moss although they were in much more powerful cars which made it look as though he was going backwards when being overtaken. Never the less Sir Henry is very proud to have won his First and Last races with many others and places gained in between.  Still owns a Jag and has been 50 years in the Jaguar Drivers Club.

Sir Henry’s Presentation was very informative with many anecdotes, experiences and jokes. An evening  enjoyed by all Members.    Thank you Sir Henry. A donation was made to Sir Henry’s favourite charity, the local Army Cadet Force

John

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

March 2010 Newsletter No 27

We were very pleased to welcome Meg from the Samaritans as our speaker for the evening who decided to sit in on our meeting before giving her presentation. Meg  enjoyed and joined in with the banter of the proceedings.

Graham reported that we now have 56 entries for the Cotswold Caper and hopefully this will swell to over a hundred before July.  John and Graham have run (not literally) around the route again and low and behold there was an error with the mileage, blamed on the fact that when the route was set John had new tyres on his car!  The mileage is now 102 miles and Jane made the comment that they will get their monies worth out of our event. 

It was good to welcome back Keith and Steve who due to other commitments hadn’t been at meetings or our social events for quite a few months, they came back just in time to pay their subs for the year!  Adrian and Rita, who attend without fail every month were missing, the reason given was a rave up birthday party, didn’t realise there granddaughter was old enough!!

Graham asked the members present if they had in their possession the two banners which we purchased last year as they had gone missing.  After great deliberation and suggestions it was decided that the last time they were used was at the 2009 Cotswold Caper finish at Westonbirt,  Steve could remember taking them down, but not sure who had them so Graham is going to check whether they have been stored with the gazebo. 

Several members expressed a wish for a return visit to Jersey and the hotel Westhill,  so Trev and Sue are going to have a look at putting a package together for 2012.  By popular request there will be no trip to St Malo after the horrendous return trip to Jersey in 2007.  

Once the formalities of the evening were over Meg took to the floor hoping that we would not fall asleep while she spoke of the work of the Samaritans, there was no chance of that happening as we were all enthralled by what she had to relate.  It was hard to imagine that the next day was to be her 80th birthday, perhaps there is hope for us all.  Chad Varah founded Chads’ Army the name they would prefer to have been associated with in 1953,  in an article by the Daily Mirror they were called The Samaritans a name which has stuck. Chad was a vicar who was so upset by the suicide of a 14 year old girl who had no one to talk her problems over with that he advertised and set up a venue where anyone could pop in for a chat with him.  He was overwhelmed by the number of people who attended and noticed that whilst they were waiting they were chatting to the ladies/men who were serving them tea.  He then had the idea of recruiting ‘listeners’ which is what the Samaritans are all about.

Samaritans have three skills:

1. to be available 24 hours a day 365/6 days a year
2. anonymity
3. confidentiality

They also have to be over 17 years of age.

Calls to the Samaritans can be anything from a few minutes to 3 hours and with a lot of calls there is the silent treatment before the ‘phone is replaced.  A Samaritan can never instigate a conversation.  There are always two on duty at any one time and after each call they download onto one another, at the end of their duty they both have to download onto a third person via the telephone.  Meg informed us that this is a procedure now adopted by Ester Ranzen’s Child Line.

There are 201 branches based in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. 

John thanked Meg for a very information talk and presented her with a donation of  £100.00 in appreciation of all the work the Samarians do.  In passing we donated £200.00 to Clive Hodge who gave a presentation on Rapid UK at the February meeting.

Sunday 28th March is Rita and Adrian’s lunch at The Crown, Frampton Mansell, which is the last one as April is the start of our Tuesday evening runs finishing of course at a pub!!

On a final note, we would like to welcome Richard, who will hopefully become a member.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

February 2010 Newsletter No 26

It has certainly been an eventful start to the New Year, with the January meeting being cancelled due to the snowy conditions and also our committee meeting for the same reason.  It was touch and go whether the first of the skittle matches would go ahead, the one where Adrian would choose the best skittlers to play against the Cotswold Classic Car Club in the February match, but fortunately conditions were ok and we had a great night.  It was a lovely day for our Sunday lunch which Graham and Pam had organised at the Edgemore, Pitchcombe and we were able to venture out in the B Roadster, Rodney certainly enjoyed his run out after being laid up for quite some time.

Clive Hodges (MBE) from Rapid UK (Rescue & Preparedness in Disasters), gave an excellent presentation at the February meeting giving us an insight into their role in disaster situations all over the world.  Their latest mission was in Haiti where they had a full team of 16 ready to go 3 days after the earthquake, and on their first day they rescued a female police officer.  It takes 2 years training before the members become operational and all members are volunteers, many of whom are self-employed, one member is a penquinologist!! 

They were formed in 1996 and their headquarters in Hardwicke was opened by the Duke of Gloucester in September 2009.  Besides attending disaster areas they also travel to other parts of the world e.g. Peru, France to train others  and  Rapid LA who assisted in the Haiti disaster were people who had been trained by the Gloucester based team.

The Sumatra disaster in October 2009 cost approximately £13,000 and they are still replenishing their supply, Haiti will more than likely cost the same amount!!

They provide all their own tents, rations, generators etc, fuel is the only item they are unable to take and as they receive no Government funding donations are always very welcome.    They have 5 rescue dogs which have been chipped and have their own passport. It takes 18 months to train a dog and if it is necessary for them to go into quarantine, then this is a disaster as they would require retraining when the quarantine period was over. 

Clive said that the UK has about 3-4 quakes per month mainly out at sea so there is no damage. 

Our chairman gave Clive a vote of thanks for giving up his time to speak to us. 

A member from the Samaritans will be giving a presentation at the next meeting, so hopefully we will be well supported once again.

At this point in time we have 31 entries for the 2010 Cotswold Caper, but we are still looking for a main sponsor, so members please get your thinking caps on and see if you can come up with someone.  Donations would also be appreciated, no matter how small.

Tony and Jane have arranged and booked the accommodation for the August Welsh Trip and John now has eight cars plus passengers for the trip across the water to Southern Ireland in September.  Good weather has been requested for both events.

Our next Sunday lunch is on the 28th February at The Royal, Charlton Kings which has been organised by Tony and Jane. 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

December 2009 Newsletter No 25

As you know from the last newsletter, the December meeting was the Clubs annual festive meal.   There is a full write up on the web site so all I will say is that the evening was a great success as usual with several members receiving more raffle prizes than Nicks five of last year, so no more ribbing for Nick!!   The room at the Royal William was laid out well with round tables, so that you could chat easily to everyone and our thanks go to Brian and Teresa for arranging the excellent evening.

Our chairman and secretary plus their little helpers did a brilliant job as usual with the way in which they ran the raffle.

Since our meal, eight of us have been to Prague, Adrian has been very efficient in putting a report on the web, we only arrived back last Sunday, having had a really super and sociable time.  The weather could have been better, but this did not deter any of us, we all made full use of our time taking in all the places of interest, we even had a little flurry of snow which was exciting.

Our son is away on active service, but in his last email to us he says that when he has time he looks at our Club website so that he can keep in touch with what we have been doing.  So Rob if you read this before Christmas day, hope all is well and that you will get a really good lunch with all the trimming, you can have a second Christmas when you come home on R & R in January.

Wishing you all a really happy Christmas and look forward to catching up with you at our next monthly meeting in 2010.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

November 2009 Newsletter No 24

Despite the miserable weather the meeting was well attended.   It was very unusual for Trev and I to be to last ones to arrive, (just after the meeting was due to start), but we did have a good excuse.  Trev had been to Belgium for the Armistice on the Wednesday and was not due home until late Thursday evening, but because of the meeting he managed to get an earlier ferry and arrived home at 7.30, a quick dash to the bathroom  and then off again to Gloucester.  What a star, I don’t think he wanted to miss the cheap beer at the bar!!

We were very pleased to welcome a new member, Ashley Fudge from Nailsworth who has a Midget.  We are predominately Bs so it is good to have another Midget member in the Club and will be company for Neil.

The notice board/cupboard which was made by Brian and is situated on the wall just before the bar at the Gala Club is now fully functional, so make sure you all have a good look.

Graham and Pam are organizing the first Sunday lunch in the New Year and Pam has asked for expenses so that they can try out the various pubs in the area before selecting a suitable one, someone suggested that we have an MP in the making!  It looks as though the first two months of the New Year are going to be a busy time as besides the Sunday lunches we have two skittles matches, plus the monthly meetings.  At the February meeting we have Rapid UK coming along to give us a presentation which should be extremely interesting, so make sure you don’t miss this meeting.

The St Roses Classic Car Show is on the 9th May and as last year we will be supporting this event, with 18plus members saying that they will attend.  If you are interested in classic cars then you won’t be disappointed at this show as there will be rows and rows of them. 

The Christmas season will officially start on the 5th December when we all meet at the Royal William for our annual knees up, which has been organised by Brian and Teresa.  No doubt there will be lots of raffle prizes and after taking five prizes last year I think we will ban Nick from buying any tickets or perhaps limit him to one prize!!

I understand that Tim and Louise last Sunday lunch of this year wasn’t spoiled by the weather conditions.

Four couples are off to Prague in December to take in the atmosphere of the Christmas markets and to enjoy the culture.  Adrian and Rita have planned this trip and we are staying in the hotel which they have used previously which is good recommendation.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

October 2009 Newsletter No 23

Several of our regular members were missing from the October meeting but we were very pleased that Mazda Man (Adrian) came along.  We have not seen him for the past few months, was he fraternizing with the Morgan Owners Club I wonder!  Anyway it was good to see him again.

The programme for 2010 is filling up nicely, with two skittles matches being held at the Stirrup Cup in the early part of the year.   Adrian will let us have details for these at a  later date, but we have been assured that we will be able to have basket meals at a very reasonable price.  Someone suggested that soup and a bread roll would be good, which caused quite a stir, can you image soup in a basket, I think not!

John and Tony are making arrangements for our away trips, so far there are 18 people interested in Wales and 22 in Ireland.

There has been one disappointment with the Cotswold Caper, Berkeley Sports Centre wanted to charge us for the privilege of using their facilities on the banks of the River Severn as the finish.  Graham and John explained that it was a charity run in aid of a good cause but this didn’t soften their hearts.  So once again Graham and John are out  combing the Thornbury area for a suitable venue and will report back at the November meeting.

The MG Car Club was well supported by us for their Sunday run from Abingdon to Bletchley Park, the weather was dry if not a little cold.  Joyce suggested that we have a Club run to Bletchley Park next year as there is so much of interest to see and it is a perfect setting for a picnic. Adrian and Rita who are members are going to check out when they hold their special events so that a run can coincide with a theme of special interest.

It was suggested that we have speakers at our monthly meetings through the winter months and one or two organizations were mentioned ie:  The Samaritans, Rapid UK and also SARA who are based at Sharpness.  So keep checking the web site to see the results.

John, Mo, Tony, Jane, Paul and Pat joined members of the MG Car Club for a 4 day trip to Argentan France which they all enjoyed.  We teased them that they would be going across the rough sea as cattle class, but they were suitably impressed with the ferry.

Tony presented Lyn and Brian with a prize as they had won the word puzzle competition on the August Welsh trip,  it was sour grapes from Adrian as he said they had copied his answers! Lyn was however not willing to share her prize with Adrian.

The last run of the year organised by Steve and Marion was well attended and we had a super run, the only downside was that the nights were drawing in, we headed off from Minchinhampton Common with side lights on but returned in complete darkness.  So it was proposed and agreed at the Club meeting that the 2010 September evening run would be held at the beginning of the month.

Our next outing before the Christmas bash, is Tim and Louise’s Sunday lunch on the 22nd November, details are on the web.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

September 2009 Newsletter No 22

The September meeting saw the presentation of a cheque for £3250.00 to Liz White who accepted it on behalf of ‘Cloud 9’ our chosen charity for the 2009 Cotswold Caper.  ‘Cloud 9’ had received a lot of support but this was the first time that there had been a connection with car clubs and Liz was overwhelmed by the amount raised which far exceeded expectations.  She appreciated all the hard work that goes into the organization of such an event, especially by the ‘leading lights’ as she referred to them, John and Graham.

A buffet was laid on for this special event by Joyce and Mo, but as Liz was unable to stay due to other commitments we carried on with the meeting, partaking of the refreshments at the end.

The 2010 calendar is up and running with members volunteering to arrange the monthly Sunday lunches through the winter months, but there will be no lunch in November, as this is too close to the Christmas bash, which is scheduled for the 4th December.   The Tuesday evening runs through spring and summer have also been sorted.  A date for the Caper trial run by club members has been chosen which is the 13th June.

Our overseas trip next year is being organized by John when we will hopefully be returning to Ireland in September.  Tony and Jane have been given the task of arranging a few days in Wales in August to coincide with the Pendine Dash, as this year’s trip, which revolved around the Snowdon run, was such a success.  There was a picture and small report in the Llandudno press of  Pete Vielvoye and his MG YT, it’s good to know that Glos MGOC is getting known. 

Adrian and Neil are looking into a couple of skittles matches in February and March, one of which will be club members only and the other against the Classic Car Club.

We had a letter from a gentleman, Mel Davies, who expressed his thanks to a good Samaritan who had stopped to assist when he had problems with his MG in the Highnam/Huntley area.  No names were given to Mel, but as we so rightly thought as he lives local to that area,  it was  our ex chairman Steve Powers.

Tony Summers from Cheltenham came along to the meeting with a view to joining the Club.

Those of us who ventured to the Haynes Museum with John and Mo had a really enjoyable day and the icing on the cake was that we were able to travel topless as the weather was kind.

We are looking forward to Steve and Marion’s run on Tuesday which starts from Minchinhampton and will be the last evening run of 2009, due to the dark nights.  Those of us with old MGs struggle as the lamps give out very little light!!

Last but not least, our thanks go to Joyce and Mo for the excellent buffet they provided.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

August 2009 Newsletter No 21

Despite the majority of the committee being away on a jolly in Wales, there was good attendance at the meeting run by Brian and I would like to say thank you to all those who came along and supported him and also participated in the raffle which is a good revenue for Club funds.

Members were reminded that at the September meeting a cheque for £3250.00 will be presented to the Trustees of  ‘Cloud 9’, our chosen charity for the 2009 Cotswold Caper, a buffet will be available.  The Caper will move to a July date in 2010, let’s hope that the weather will be kind as it has been for the runs held in June.  I understand that we have already had an enquiry for the 2011 Caper, some people like to plan well in advance!

We are all looking forward to our run on the 13th September to the Haynes Museum, which has been organized by John and Mo and also Steve Woods’ evening run on the 22nd September.  This is Steve’s first run and hopefully not the last.

Members were asked to give some ideas for speakers or events which could be incorporated into our winter monthly meetings.  Adrian (Mazda man) suggested members could share their motoring experiences and also discuss their very first cars.  A competition was also suggested, not match a saying to a celebrity,  but match the member to his first car!!  This could prove quite interesting and will be discussed at the next Committee Meeting early September.

Ten members in six cars attended the Gala Club Fete on 30th August, it was not the best of  days weather wise, but very sociable, most of the time was spend in the bar keeping warm.  The attendance was good so hopefully they made plenty of money for their chosen charity The James Hopkins Trust.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

July 2009 Newsletter No 20

Graham opened the meeting with a report on the Cotswold Caper.  We had received six letters of thanks and congratulations on such a well organised event, especially on the weather which was ordered well in advance.  We are able to present a substantial amount of money to ‘Cloud 9’ which was our chosen charity for this year.  St Roses where we started the Caper were well pleased with their takings on hot dogs and coffee which netted almost £400.00 for their Smile Appeal.  They have offered their services and grounds for the start of the 2010 Caper.  We are also pleased to report that work will commence on their hydrotherapy pool at the end of this year, which was helped by our 2007 Cotswold Caper donation.

Our presentation to ‘Cloud 9’ will, subject to confirmation that Liz White and Mr & Mrs Lewis are available, be held at our September meeting.   We will be putting on nibbles which Joyce has very kindly offered to do, (perhaps offered isn’t the right word, more elected by the powers that be!)

John is organizing a nostalgic trip back to the Haynes Museum in September which is where we had our very first Club outing, six cars in total, but one had to do running repairs up a farm track due to water loss.  Needless to say John and Graham have never let the couple forget about this stop!!

The last run in June was Rita and Adrians trip around the Water park and along the banks of the Thames not usually seen.  14 cars participated and had a great time.  It finished up at a very nice hostelry as usual with some very nice food.

We had an excellent visit to the Watercress Steam Railway organised by John and Janet Rose and we were extremely lucky that the weather stayed fine.  A full report will be given on the web.

The August meeting is being left in the capable hands of Brian to run as the rest of the committee are off on a jolly to the Elan Valley taking in the Snowdon Run on Sunday 16th.  This trip has been organised by Jane and Tony, unfortunately the first hotel chosen for a two night stay burnt down, a bit over the top to get out of putting up with us. 

Would members please make an extra special effort to attend the August meeting and support Brian.

Our next evening run is on the 28th August organised for the first time by Chris and Betty.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

June  2009 Newsletter No 19

It doesn’t seem that long ago since I typed up the May Newsletter, the months are going far too quickly must be something to doing with the aging process. 

It was noted that three stalwarts of the Club  were not in attendance and it was not until the meeting was opened that we were informed Rita and Adrian had broken down yet again in Rita’s’ MGF and Joyce had gone to pick up the pieces (not literally, only Rita).  Adrian and the MGF were towed home and he arrived much later but in time for a quiet drink in the bar at the close of the meeting.  We had a really good attendance for the June meeting far in excess of the AGM and  I believe it was because members were interested in an update of our Cotswold Caper run  being held on the Sunday.  Several of us joined in the Hereford Mountains and Valleys run on the previous Sunday but the weather was not very kind to us, therefore we were all  praying that we would fair better.   

This years route has not been without its’ problems,  John and Graham had to do a  last minute alteration due to the fact that one of the roads in Painswick was closed from Thursday through to Sunday, 120 route books had to be amended, but as usual the duo were not fazed, comes with years of experience.

John and Robs’ run during May from Hunters Hall was very well supported, the weather could have been kinder, but the route was super.  This was their first ever run, so we now hope they put their names down to do another in 2010.

Several of our members and their MGs are off on holiday to the Isle of Man with our Chairman as their leader, is the Island ready for an MG invasion?   There is a rumor that it will be a tour of  Southern Ireland next year.

We have Rita and Adrian’s run to look forward to on  Tuesday 30th June and a Sunday run out in July organized by John and Janet to Alresford Hampshire for a trip on the Watercress Railway.

It was good to see two members of the Llandudno Club attend our meeting with Tony and Jane, with whom they were staying so that they could participate in the Caper.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

May 2009 Newsletter No 18

It was good to see so many members attend the May meeting as this was the AGM, people usually shy away from AGM’s just in case they get elected, but there was no chance of that as it was decided (not sure by who) that the posts already held would stand for another year. 

John as chairman opened the meeting and Graham gave his secretaries report for the year.  For those who did not attend,  the events through the year besides the monthly 30 mile runs through the summer, included clay pigeon shooting, gliding, a visit to a local brewery and helicopter museum and a Sunday run out with a trip on the River Severn and lunch.  A good number of us attended various shows including St Roses Wheel Nuts, Kemble Air and Wroughton Classic Car.

The financial situation is good and it was agreed that we would purchase new banners to erect when we attend events.  We inherited a large banner which requires supports on either end, the new ones will be very user friendly.

Adrian who looks after our web site says that we have had 28000 hits from 54 countries, the committee members have had email enquiries from all around the world due to the web, nice to know that we are famous.

It is fast approaching the Caper, and several of us did a trial run to check the route, not that it was necessary but we cannot be too complacent.  As it turns out we did come across one problem with a road being closed, poor John and Graham now have the task of doing a slight alteration.  Unfortunately we were unable to run with the tops down as the weather was changeable, in fact the last 10 miles we did in heavy rain, but as long as it is dry for the 14th June we will not complain.  Brilliant run as usual thanks to Graham and John.

Tuesday 26th May is our second run of the year, which is being organized by John and Rob Heslop,  so hope to see a few of the new members joining in.

We now have 40 paid up members plus their partners.

Just to finish off:-

‘Defying all sexist comments two woman successfully navigated the Caper course with no problem!!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

April 2009 Newsletter No 17

The April meeting started promptly with an informative power point talk by Mark Wilkins on behalf of the County Air Ambulance Trust.  Apparently the Government refuses to fund the air ambulance so the only way for them to survive is by fund raising.  They have 6 helicopters which we were informed take 2 minutes to get airborne and can be at the scene of an accident very quickly covering  the areas of  Derbyshire, Shropshire, Avon, Leicestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

It appeared a very costly exercise whether we will ever be in a position to assist will be up to the members in future.

John informed us, in the absence of our secretary Graham who was once again on holiday, that PATZ the clothing supplier is still in existence now being run by the daughter, so no change there which is good news.

The Caper gets closer so raffle prizes are required, please try and help.  We will be handing out raffle ticket books at the May meeting in the hope that members will be able to sell some tickets before the event in June.  As it is for a really good cause we hope that members will as usual come up trumps.

We are all looking forward to Lawrence and Jane’s evening run on Tuesday 28th April which is the first run of the season,  it will be good to blow the cobwebs away.

St Roses Wheel Nuts Classic Meeting had a very good attendance from our members and we were lucky enough to receive a cup for our Club display.  The weather was not as ordered but at least it stayed dry.

NOTE:  26 members attended the last meeting and total membership new/renewed stands at 26 plus partners.

PS – don’t forget the May meeting will be the AGM, so come along and have your say!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

March 2009 Newsletter No 16

Our Secretary looked refreshed after his three week holiday in Malta and it was interesting for me to know that he and Joyce stayed at the hotel which I will be going to later in the year.  It was good recommendation that they would return there should they pay another visit to the island.

The start for the Cotswold Caper in June has been changed from Stroud Leisure Centre to St Roses as our chairman found that the sleeping policeman on the entry road to the leisure centre had been increased in height and his bottom (not his bottom but the MG Roadsters) scrapped on the humps, very painful. This means that on the day of the Caper two members will be required at the leisure centre to re-direct those who have entered and not read their instructions properly!  Do we want to take bets on how many will turn up at the wrong venue

The raffle caused a little hilarity as we netted £33.37, the 37p was the price of a kiss, I will not embarrass the young lady, but Adrian (web site manager)was the recipient.  He is incorrigible.

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We would like to welcome Eddy Hunter a new member who was at the meeting and who lives in Brockworth.

After the serious side of the meeting the men took their positions for the slot car racing which John’s son Andrew had kindly set up.  It was a great improvement on last years as Andrew was able to set it up on tables so that the older members did not have to scrabble about on the floor.  The fastest of the evening was Mazda man, who was given a bottle of wine as a prize.  Well done Adrian.  Our thanks go to Andrew for a very entertaining evening for the men.  The lady members put the world to right as only women can.

It was a lovely sunny day on Sunday 15th March, the day that 16 of us had lunch at the Royal William Cranham which was organized by Brian and Lynn, so out came the MGs.  We all enjoyed our meals, and to put the icing on the cake, Winstones ice-cream was on the menu!!!!!   Thank you Brian and Lynn for organizing this, which was the last one until the autumn as the evening runs start from the end of April.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

February 2009 Newsletter No 15

Twenty-seven members were at the meeting and it was good to see a few old familiar faces who haven’t been able to attend due to other commitments.  We were one short on the management front as our secretary had decided to take his good lady on a three week holiday to warmer climates.  We all felt quite envious of them seeing that we had all been subjected to the snow to various degrees. At one stage we thought the meeting would have to be cancelled.

Entries for the Cotswold Caper are now coming in fairly well, but in the present economic climate it may not be as well supported as other years, but we are ever hopeful.

At our January meeting Brian Stephens was  given the task of making a Club notice board, which he produced at this meeting.  Our thanks go to Brian who has made a magnificent job making a  lockable glass fronted Club notice cupboard,  which no doubt is now in place in the entrance hall of the Gala Club. 

Adrian and Rita tested our brains with 30 general knowledge questions, the highest scorers were Jane and Lawrence, who were presented with a bottle of wine, well done.  Thanks go to Rita who did most of the work with a very little help from Adrian. 

Sunday lunch at The Pheasant was organized for 14 of us by John and Mo and we found the staff very friendly and obliging and the roasts were excellent.  Our next venue is the Royal William at Cranham which Lynn and Brian are organizing.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

January 2009 Newsletter No 14

Despite the cold weather there was good attendance at the first meeting of the new year.  The format of the evening was changed a little as Ryan Deargy who is doing a dissertation on the green issues,  particularly the impact on the environment of sports cars, opened the meeting with questions and answers and seemed keen to pick our brains with regards to our beloved classic cars. It was something different which appealed to several members of the club who got into a healthy debate with Ryan.  Hopefully he went away with some positives.

John had to bring the discussions to an end as time was rolling by.

Pressure is now on to finalize the Caper, we still need adverts and donations, any ideas please speak to either John or Graham.

We are organizing two trips for August, The Vintage & Engine Show at Kemble on Sunday 2nd August and Bovington Tank Museum on Tuesday 4th August.  If anyone is interested  please let us know.

The sale of diaries in aid of our charity for this year ‘Cloud 9’ went well, Graham thanked Sue and Lynne for their splendid efforts.  Thanks also went to John for wrapping up the majority of Xmas raffle prizes. 

We have been given permission by the Gala Club to erect a club notice board and Brian has taken this under his wing. 

We donated £50.00 to Milestone Special School as Graham had read in the local paper that the children had bought chrissy presents but these had inadvertently been left on the bus.  As you can guess in today’s society the presents were no longer on the bus when checked.  The children sent us a thank you letter which they had put together themselves.

The meeting ended at 9.45pm, when some of us adjourned to the bar!!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

December 2008 Newsletter No 13

The December meeting was the Christmas bash at The Crown in Paganhill Stroud.  We were all a little concerned as only the week before there had been a hold up at the pub with the barmaid being threatened with a gun.  It was suggested that we all donned flat jackets for the occasion just in case of trouble, although no one messes when our Chairman and Secretary are around.  Adrian and Rita had done us proud with the venue, a lovely warm well appointed conservatory which held the 37 members comfortably.

John and Graham were very persuasive with the selling of the raffle tickets which netted £117.00.   Good for Club funds, especially when most of the prizes were provided by the members! 

After partaking of the excellent menu, it was time for the draw.  I must say that several members were very unlucky and did not have a prize, but some had more than their fair share, one member on our table had five, not to mention any names Nick, and I believe that at least one of these prizes will be given to Sue as a surprise Christmas Present!!!!  Sorry Nick I was supposed to keep this a secret.

The first meeting of the new year will end with a talk from Gloucester University about things green and later in the month a Sunday lunch at the Indian Restaurant in Brimscombe

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas and New Year.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

November 2008 Newsletter No 12

This was the last meeting of 2008 as it is the ‘the Christmas Binge’ next month and it was good to see the room so full of members especially as the evening was going to end with a quiz!

We are still looking for a main raffle prize and donations for 2009 Cotswold Caper, so if anyone has any thoughts please contact our Chairman or Secretary who would be delighted to hear from you.

Graham S and Tony have been busy organizing a short break in Wales in August next year to coincide with the  Llandudno MG Owners Club Snowdon run on the Sunday, the trip sounds full of promise, we can only hope that the weather will be kind to us so that we can really enjoy the spectacular scenery.  There are limited spaces for this so it’s on a first come basis; we have already paid our deposit!

John, our Chairman is looking into a visit to the Isle of Man for a few days after the Cotswold Caper, this is so everyone can relax after all their hard work.  More details will be given at the first meeting in the New Year.

The meeting over, Joyce and Graham true to form posed a brain teaser of a quiz, we were given 25 cryptic clues and had to work out the towns or cities in Great Britain from them.  I think it was Jane and Lawrence who won with a fantastic score of …….. 10?   As we are all of a certain age the clues need to be easier as we tend to loose concentration after 4pm!!

Jane G very kindly held a PartyLite Party with nibbles for the ladies last Thursday and as the last time I went to one was when they first started some 12 years ago I  was pleasantly surprised that the range had vastly improved.  A little birdie tells me that we will be having a PartyLite prize for the Caper.

Some of us are off to the The Kings Head at Norton for Sunday lunch on 23 November organized by Joyce, (this is where we had one of our Christmas meals) so we are looking forward to our food.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

October 2008 Newsletter No 11

It was encouraging to see so many members at the October meeting as Mrs Liz White who is the main stay of  ‘Cloud 9’, the charity which we are supporting with the 2009 Cotswold Caper, came along to give us an insight as to what the charity involves.  She was accompanied by John Lewis who is the chairman for the fundraising committee.  This charity is run entirely by volunteers and gives ‘sick’ children the opportunity to have a dream holiday, perhaps their last, with their parents and siblings.  The charity was started in 1986 and only exists because of the hard and untiring work of the volunteers.  Since May last year 50 families have benefited and it must be stressed that all money collected goes towards the holidays making it a memorable experience for the sick children and their families.   The charity is run from Liz’s home so it was  cloak and dagger to meet up with our Chairman and Secretary at a pre-arranged location, obviously she didn’t feel safe enough to entertain them to coffee at her home, I wonder why!

After Liz and John left we discussed the Xmas dinner which Adrian and Rita are organizing and duly paid our deposits.  We are looking for prizes for the raffle and would appreciate it if those who are attending could bring a little something along, but sponges are out as it’s not the weather for cleaning cars.

Joyce and Graham are running a quiz after the next meeting and going from past experience this should prove to be a good laugh.  The question master/mistress is always right!

The Cotswold Caper run has been finalized and we are looking for members to obtain donations or advertisements for the brochure, remember this is a very worthwhile charity that we are supporting this year. 

Just a reminder to new and old members, suggestions for activities are always welcome particularly to get us through the long winter nights.  Any suggestions contact our ever enthusiastic committee.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

September 2008 Newsletter No 10

We arrived to find that we had been relegated to another room, but we have had meetings in this room on previous occasions and found it quite satisfactory.

Graham had produced the 2009 calendar of events and asked for volunteers to arrange the Tuesday evening monthly runs and Sunday all day events, but members were a little slow in coming forward.  This necessitated Graham and John using all their charm! and a deal of  persuasion  resulting in all events for 2009  being  covered and it looks to be a very busy year.  We are hoping to have a run out in April to a see the workings and possibly ride on a Steam Train, also a visit to Bovington tank museum.

Ten MG’s (well nine plus one Mazda) are off to Brittany on the 19th September for the annual MG holiday, and our Chairman is already thinking about next year.  John suggested Scotland which many of us thought a brilliant idea, but certain members thought their cars would not make it that far and  Wales was suggested as an alternative. A vote was taken on both, and I think there may be two Club holidays in 2009! 

Adrian advised us that we had had 119 ‘hits’ to the web site, this is proving to be very popular and credit must go to Adrian for all his efforts.

There is an undercurrent of dissatisfaction growing amongst our ladies, the reason being a feeling of neglect.  I believe this to mean most or all of the events are for the benefit of the male members of the Club.  A chat followed amongst us girls and Joyce is going to try and organize a jewelry party in the new year, which will be a chance for the men to show their domestic skills.

Attendance was 30.  The raffle or John’s swindle brought in £33.00 for Club funds. 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

August 2008 Newsletter No 9

The Club meeting on the 14 August was successful as usual, attended by 25 members and many subjects were raised, particularly the purchase of the new gazebo (with sides) which will accommodate all of the Club apparently!  Is the new one wind and rainproof?
Only time will tell.

The Caper proceeds with a start venue now confirmed, sounds good and the finish will be at our local arboretum which also looks to be excellent.  A lot of discussion took place as to the charity which will benefit in 2009, this also seems to have been settled.  No doubt Graham and John will be explaining more at a future date.

The Club remains as busy as ever with the helicopter museum trip, followed by the gliding experience for some members at Aston Down.  The Brittany trip is fast approaching and this has been expertly organized (I think!!).

Seventeen members attended the Cotswold Care Hospice to present the cheque from this years Caper, and we were warmly welcomed and shown round the facilities.  Tea and excellent cakes (especially the chocolate sponge) were provided and John was observed going back for seconds.

Finally, a warm welcome to Linda and Tony Jones (Midget) who also joined us for Brian and Teresa’s Tuesday run, and two new members who signed up at the meeting, Chris Smith (M---) and Colin Hall (B Roadster).

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

July 2008 Newsletter No 8

It was a very lively meeting attended by 29 members, who our Chairman had difficulty in controlling.  Mo and I had a little discussion and decided that we must get a gavel for John in time for the next meeting so that he can assert his authority.

Our Secretary, who is in charge of clothing orders, had purchased 10 blue Glos MGOC baseball caps, seven of which  were snapped up very quickly.  At £8.00 each they are very good value.  Sale of clothing is going very well, and I think that most members of the Club either have a sweatshirt, shirt or polo shirt, not to mention the fleeces, but these are more winter wear.

We had an in depth discussion about the purchase of a new Club Gazebo as the one we have is a little too complicated for the senior members of our Club to erect.  They say that many hands make light work, but have you ever seen 6 men trying to put together a Gazebo, I will leave it to your imagination, but they took at least ½ an hour at one function we attended much to the amusement of other Clubs. 

We took a vote for the charity we would support with next years Caper and the top three are to be investigated by Graham and John for a report at the August meeting.

We have a new lady member Yvonne, who did not attend the meeting but was at the Clay Pigeon Shooting night out, and we would like to welcome her to the Club and hope to see her at the next meeting.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

June 2008 Newsletter No 7

As you know from my April newsletter I was away for most of May and therefore unable to report on the last meeting which was the AGM.  I don’t think it was an earth moving experience from all accounts which is what I felt whilst in China up the top of a pagoda on the Xian City Wall  (which is where the Terracotta Warriors live), fortunately the pagoda only moved a little, but we certainly made a hasty retreat.

We were evicted for whatever reason from our usual room at The Gala Club for last Thursdays meeting but were in a much larger room with a little stage area.  Our very welcome newly elected Chairman John Child took control of the meeting from centre stage after a lot of persuasion.  Brian Clarke was also elected to the Committee and is our social member, I am not quite sure what that title means!

The June meeting was well attended and it was good to see some old faces who have not been able to attend for some time.  We also had three new members,  Peter and Marion Burke and Derrick Newman, who is a friend and has also navigated on numerous occasions for Peter Vielvoye.  Peter made the comment that Derrick is not too hot on the navigation so I assume that is why he has bought his own MG TD so someone can navigate for him. 

A full report on the Cotswold Caper will be on the web, but it was yet another success with lots of compliments on the organization, all due to John, Graham and Jeff.  We had ordered good weather and we were not let down, the sun shone all day from our early start of 7.30 am. 

Graham and John have agreed once again to organize the Caper for 2009, with just a little help from their friends.

The meeting was over quite quickly and whilst the draw took place the members mingled and chatted socially no doubt talking cars.

Our next jaunt is Rita and Adrian’s run on Tuesday 24th June, which we have been reliable informed ends with a BBQ. 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

April  2008 Newsletter No 6

Unfortunately due to a well earned holiday in Spain (well I think I earned one) I was  unable to attend the April meeting, but from very reliable sources I am informed that attendance was excellent.  Perhaps I should go away more often, come to think of it I will not be at the AGM next month due to yet another holiday and I will miss Mike The Spares Pollock’s’ evening run also, but hubby tells me he has a stand in, the blonde from across the road.  Hope her navigating is as good as mine.  Talking of which, it was Johns Evening Jaunt last Tuesday and quite a few of us misread his instructions.  A very interesting run as usual John many thanks, yes Trev and I are talking again.

Don’t forget subs were due during April, and there are still one or two of you who have not paid. 

The year has kicked off to a good start and with the events at St Rose’s School,  Kemble, Wroughton and Highnam, plus of course the Caper, this year promises to be a cracker.

On a point of interest membership appears to be 40 MGs plus their owners and partners, with Nigel and Sian Day from Uckington and their Midget being the latest recruits.  A warm welcome to you both. 

Have a good AGM and see you in June!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

March  2008 Newsletter No 5

It was toys for the boys at the March meeting, as John and Maureen’s’ son Andrew set up his scalectrix so that the members could test their driving skills.   

After the formal part of the evening and the swindle (the monthly raffle) had taken place, the boys were paired off for a knock-out.   Of the 21 members there was only a small contingent of us woman, so we left the boys to their own devices.  Graham unfortunately had a handicap with his sports car which caused great hilarity as it was towing a caravan.  As a caravaner it was thought he should show his skills negotiating the track which he did with extreme dexterity.  The winner of the evening was Neil Dewey.

We would like to thank Andrew for organizing a very entertaining evening (for the boys).  Are the girls now in line for a ‘pamper evening’! 

Our first run of this year was organized by Graham and Joyce, who had to do last minute adjustments to the route as the chosen hostelry inconsiderately closed its’ doors.   Was it the thought of a visit by 14+ members of the Gloucestershire MG Owners’ Club, has our reputation gone before us?

It was quite an arduous, but very good run of 32 miles and most of us ended up at the Royal William Craham where we were made most welcome and the food was excellent.

Thank you to Graham and Joyce.

A gentle reminder that membership fees of £10.00 are now due.

We extend a warm welcome to Steve Wood who hails from Amberley with his MGA.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

February 2008 Newsletter No 4

Twenty members plus one from the Worcester Club had a very enjoyable lunch, thanks to Adrian and Rita, at the Crown Frampton Mansell on Sunday 10th February.  I hasten to add Adrian and Rita did not pay, but did organize it.  The weather was excellent but not all members braved bringing out their MGs.

The meeting on Valentines Day was well supported by twenty-two members, as the Rev Michael Tucker, director of Cotswold Care Hospice and Peter Hollingsworth , Fund Raiser came along to give us a presentation and answer questions on the facilities they provide at their base in Burleigh.  It was very interesting and holding our Cotswold Caper in support of the Cotswold Care Hospice is a very worthwhile cause.  At present they are using a large house which was purchased some twenty years ago, but their new larger building is well underway and should be ready for use May/June this year, giving them far greater facilities for their very important works.

Finally, the Club would like to extend a warm welcome to Steve Kiggins.   Steve hails from Bibury and drives a B Roadster

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

January 2008 Newsletter No 3

For the first time in a very long while there was a reduction in the number of members attending the first meeting of the new year, this was due to the very unpleasant bugs that have been affecting everyone. Many of those who were able to attend were still coughing and spluttering.

John, Graham and Geoff have the route wrapped up for our Cotswold Caper in June and the advertisements for the Route Book are coming in fast.  Graham has even been in contact with Prince Charles asking for a Raffle Prize and has informed HRH that he and John are quite willing to go and collect it.  Hopefully it won’t be  perishable products ie carrots or cabbage!  Who knows he might even turn up on the day!!

Mark gave us some very interesting information regarding Mobile Phones, all the information can be found on our website, well worth a visit.

Comments were made about the excellent report in Enjoying MG courtesy of Graham/John.

The evening ended with Tony, whom I was reliably informed used to Rally in his earlier years.  Tony patiently showed us how to use  Map References, which was very informative.   He ended his talk by producing 15 questions on signs used on OS maps.  This definitely tested the members as no-one got it completely right.  Thank you Tony.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB

December Newsletter Issue 2

The December meeting on the 13th was our Christmas Meal at The Farmers Pub in Lower Apperley organized by John Child.  We were welcomed by John and Graham (our secretary) who were seated at the entrance to the restaurant where they demanded money with menaces for the Club fund by way of the Club swindle i.e. raffle.  There was a table full of prizes and I think that most couples had at least one prize, some who will remain anonymous (Adrian) had two prizes.

The landlord did us proud with a good choice on the menu and sorbet to cleanse the palette before the main course.

There were a few other groups but none of them outnumbered our Club who members were thirty plus, a very good turn out once again.

The disco erupted at about 9.30 pm but unfortunately the punters were a little slow to get going.  We left at 10.45 pm with Joyce, Pam and Jane strutting their stuff on the dance floor.

Thanks go to John for a very sociable and pleasant evening.

Next years Christmas Meal I am led to believe will be at Burger King or Weatherspoons.  Adrian is taking numbers already as he is expecting to be overwhelmed with bookings at the prospect of burger and chips, I trust that he is joking!

GLOUCESTERSHIRE MG OWNERS CLUB NEWSLETTER - NOVEMBER 2007 ISSUE NO 1

Twenty-seven members attended Novembers meeting where we agreed to donate £25.00 to the Cotswold Care Hospice's Christmas 'Light a Candle' in memory of someone special to be held at venues in Tetbury, Cirencester, Stroud and Cam.  Members agreed that they would attend the event in their area if at all possible to represent the Club.

After the serious business of the meeting had been attended to we had to test our knowledge in teams of four answering twenty-eight questions set by Tony and Jane on towns/cities in England.  As usual there was great hilarity and arguments when the papers were marked, but the questionmaster/mistress is always correct and has the last word.  The team of Graham and Pam Sutton and Jeff and Carole Phillips were the champions of the evening scoring twenty-two on the set paper.

The raffle was as usual a a great success, netting £28.00 for the Club funds.

The next meeting is our Christmas meal which John has arranged at The Farmers Arms Lower Apperly.  We could all be bopping into the early hours of the morning as the pub is providing a disco, I am informed that by special request the DJ will be playing music of the 40s.

There are places available on the Brittany trip 20-27 September 2008 if anyone is interested.  We will be staying at a gite on a B & B basis with evening meal available if required. 

Please either email Trevor and Sue Panter on panter.sue@virgin.net or telephone 01453 543292.