Due to a complete failure of my ability to edit efficiently I failed to spot that the following two reports had failed to make it from the draft to the paste up stage. I apologise profusely to Richard and Martin who are rightly most annoyed that the reports they sweated to get in on time did not appear.
PUBLICITY OFFICER’S REPORT
In my view the highspot of the last 12 months was undoubtedly the Abbotsholme weekend which culminated in the Annual Gathering. It seems to me that the greatest aspect of this weekend is that the format is long enough to allow old friendships to be renewed and for new relationships to be forged with fellow Scott enthusiasts. This is not possible to the same extent within the restricted time available at other club events.
Geoff Green planned a superb route through the Peak District for the Saturday ride and we were blessed with a beautiful day. Meanwhile Eddie and his family put in a huge effort to ensure that the weekend was a huge success. Thanks must also go to the headmaster who allows us to use the excellent school facilities. If you haven’t been on either of the two previous Abbotsholme weekends, I urge you to give it a try. I’d be very surprised if you were disappointed.
This was the first Gathering away from Stanford Hall for many years and the committee received mostly very positive feedback regarding the new venue.
The club was represented at various other events through the year, most of which have been reported in “Yowl”. I will not bore you with a repetition of the finer detail.
We have an interesting line-up of machinery for the April show at Stafford including the 3 cylinder Scott from The National Motorcycle Museum (not Sammy Miller’s machine as previously reported). I have been re-reading Ixion’s “Motor Cycle Cavalcade” in which he wrote:
“Just before World War II, I revelled in a most halcyon day astride a three-cylinder Scott, which purred like a Rolls, evinced the torque of a six cylinder engine, and developed a most lofty performance.”
So come to Stafford, visit the club stand, and take the chance to examine this extraordinary machine and several other outstanding Scotts.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT
2009
At close of business in 2009 we had 756 members, which compares very favourably with the 2008 figure of 731, and is the highest in the history of the Club. Remember that these are “first named” members, in addition (at the time of writing) we have 95 family members too.
The worldwide distribution of members is as follows:
Australia (42), Austria (3), Belgium (1), Canada (5), Czech Republic (1), Denmark (4), Eire (5), France (6), Germany (16), Hong Kong (2), Hungary (1), Italy (2), Netherlands (6), New Zealand (9), Norway (1), South Africa (2), Spain (1), Switzerland (2), UK (625), USA (21), and Zimbabwe (1).
My grateful thanks to those members who renew promptly, they save me a lot of time in this voluntary job. Also to those who kindly send me their good wishes, Christmas and New Year greetings.
As a further experiment, and with the committee’s agreement, I have not issued membership cards this year to overseas members. If a member specifically asks for a card, I will be happy to provide one. The first line of the overseas Yowl postal label will read “2010 # 123”, which gives the member an immediate indication that their membership expires at the end of 2010, and their membership number is 123.
Some members have asked me about paying Club subscriptions by a regular payment bank to bank. Whether the Club should offer this facility or not was discussed at length at the AGM, but as it happened, Barclays had the final word! It is not feasible to set up a “Direct Debit” as the Club’s turnover is not large enough, but you can set up a “Standing Order” facility with your bank to make a regular payment of the subscription on 1st January of each year. The Club is exploring the possibility of offering a full Pay pal facility to all members this year.
Thanks to fellow committee members and overseas representatives who supported the renewal process with input concerning payments by various methods. Thanks also to the Yowl printing team who received my bi-monthly spread sheets in a calm and reassuring manner.
RICHARD TANN
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