Hi all,
 
I hope those of you who have been lucky enough to get away have enjoyed your trips, and for the rest of you, I hope you have something planned in the near future.
 
I would like to announce a centre trial; on line booking.  Following the success and feedback from the first trial which allowed ralliers to book and pay for the Celebration Rally on line (123 booked on line out of the 240 bookings we received).  The centre is now trialling online bookings for the Bonfire Rally.  The centre has been in communications with the CAMC since March about our system, which they have approved.  
 
The CAMC are now actively encouraging centres to use on line payments, see the News Page.
 
Just to remind ralliers, the on line booking trial is an option, as it will be if the trial is successful.  If you prefer, you can still send a cheque and the booking slip via surface mail as you have done in the past and continue to in the future.  This is just an option for Rally Officers and ralliers.  Exciting times.
 
A quick reminder for the Rally Officers who, last year planned to organise rallies for the centre, but unfortunately had to cancel or postpone them because of Covid-19, as a thank you the committee plan to present you with your Rally Officer gift the next time you are out on the rally field.
 
Stay safe and I look forward to seeing you on the rally field soon. 

Hi everyone,

I hope this message finds you all safe and well.  

Just a quick reminder for those Rally Officers who elected to receive vouchers last year as their Rally Officer gifts.  If you haven’t already used them, the committee have extended their life by 12 months to allow for the break in rallying due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hopefully by this time next week, the CAMC will have updated centres on whether we can rally again 

Stay safe everyone.

Hi all,

The CAMC have this evening sent an e-mail out to all centres stating that we can’t organise any rallies during July.  The Executive Committee have changed their interpretation of the new rules that will come into force on the 4 July from “a rally was only for the siting / parking of leisure vehicles and that no social aspects of a rally could take place.  However, there is now a very strong concern that by the manner in which a rally is organised through a Centre to enable a group to come together for a common cause, it is much more difficult to argue that a rally is not a gathering”.  (It would be illegal for gatherings of more than 30 people to take place).

The CAMC will review the situation on 20 July 2020.

I am sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news but, we must comply with the CAMC rules to be legal ourselves.  Hopefully we can get back out there in August.  You can always use their club sites………….

Stay safe everyone.

Hi all

I hope this message finds you all safe and well.

Finally some good news, the resumption of Cheshire Centre rallies.

Now the Government have confirmed that sites can re-open on the 4th July 2020 in England that means we can now rally again.  The first Cheshire Centre rally will be at Holmston Hall during 17 – 19 July followed two weeks later by the Swanley House rally.  Please support these rallies if you can; thank you.

So that Rally Officers and you, the rallier, can start making preparations and changes to the practices involved in organising and attending a rally, guidance has been issued from the CAMC, click here to read it.

I look forward to seeing you soon, but PLEASE read the guidance below, taking special note of the paragraph of individual’s responsibility; thanks.

Stay safe.

​I feel very humbled having read the Facebook campaign to keep me as your Centre Chairman for another year due to the Covid-19 outbreak.  The comments were lovely and made me feel very proud that you think so highly of me. 
 
However, due to the ongoing issues Andrea and I still continue to face on the rally field from a very small number of ralliers, following the suspension of a centre member, I don’t feel it is possible for me to continue as your Chairman and, quite frankly, I don’t feel the need to suffer any longer.  Hopefully, with a new leader things will change.
 
I will continue leading this great centre to the best of my ability until September when my three year term will end.  Again, thank you for your lovely comments and I remain one incredibly proud Centre Chairman.
 
Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I hope this message finds you all safe and well.  

With the lock down measures being relaxed a little in certain areas, and Nick Lomas, Director General of the CAMC, campaigning to the Chief Medical Officer to allow the CAMC sites to open its sites it’s time for us, as a centre, to look ahead.  Each month, during our virtual committee meetings, we have been discussing the viability of our current year’s rallies, obviously we can’t do anything until the government and CAMC give us authority but Rally Officers should start reviewing their plans for autumn rallies*.  

We also need to think about the 2021 rally programme.  Currently we only have 33 rallies in the proposed programme, so those of you with time on your hands, get planning those weekends away and contact the Rally Sec to get them in the calendar.  It would be a shame not to hit the 100 rallies target.

*I do not have a crystal ball or a direct line to the Prime Minister, just an optimistic view on life, LOL.

Stay safe.

Hi all, 

I hope you are all still safe and well.

Dave Howarth’s funeral details are now available: it will take place next Monday 11th May at 3.15 p.m. at Stockport Crematorium.  Unfortunately, the crematorium will only take 10 mourners, places that understandably will be for his immediate family. 

The family just want their own floral arrangement but donations may be sent to Guide Dogs For The Blind for those who wish to do so.  Anyone who knew Dave, will remember how passionate he was about Guide Dogs, having spent lots of his own time assisting in puppy training.  His Remembrance Book on the Centre’s web site will be removed on Monday and the comments sent to Sheila, so if you want to upload a message for her and the family, please do so before then.

Last Saturday night, on what would have been the Saturday evening at the 50th Celebration Rally, Freddie Fantastic, who was booked for the rally, gave a very successful virtual performance to the centre’s children via Zoom (on line video conferencing).  The best comment I heard was “it was so nice to hear the kids laughing together”, so it was really great to hear that the committee’s efforts had been appreciated; well done team.

Stay safe.

​Hi, I trust you are all safe and well.  

I have read that some of our centre members have lost loved ones to this dreadful covid-19 epidemic.  My heart goes out to you and your families as, I am sure, the rest of the centre also feel for you in your ‘hour of need’; much love to you all.

It was interesting reading what you had got up to during the Easter weekend, very imaginative!  There was play your cards right, whisky tasting, stair climbing, magic shows, singing, van cleaning, sun bathing, BBQ’s but best of all was the reminiscing.  There were some great photos.  It also seems that there will be a lot of fit ralliers when we finally all get back out in our vans!

On Tuesday evening, we held our virtual committee meeting; the good thing about the virtual meetings is I don’t have to go shopping for the ingredients to make the brews half way through the meeting, LOL.  It was suggested that we present Rally Officers who have had their rallies cancelled due to Covi-19 with their Rally Officer gifts which are different style drinking glasses with the 50th Celebration motif engraved on them.  This was unanimously agreed as it was felt they have already done a lot of prep work and when the rallies were cancelled they have had additional work.  So, at a suitable time after the lock down has been lifted, we will get the presentations organised.  Thanks again Rally Officers.

To finish I would just like to say how impressed I am of Captain Tom Moore, if he can raise that incredible amount of money, £12,000,000, for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his back garden at his age, we, Cheshire ralliers, can surely survive a bit longer with lock down.  You can’t keep a Military Vet down.

Stay safe.

Hi fellow ralliers,

​I hope you, your family and friends are all safe and well in these troubling times.  From what I have heard and seen you are all pulling together to enable us all to get through these terrible days, some of you by some very ingenious methods; well done.

Some of you may have heard that two of our Easter rallies had already purchased the chocolate eggs for their rallies.  Following the Rally Officers’ suggestions, your committee paid for the Easter Eggs and let the RO’s donate them to local charities.  The eggs have gone to a local food bank in Widnes and the Children’s Ward at Macclesfield General Hospital.   I appreciate it is only a small gesture but, as one famous store states “every little helps”.  Again well done all.

The Easter Newsletter has been completed and will be sent out via e-mail to you all on Monday, so keep an eye on your inbox, if you don’t see it please check your Junk or Spam box; thanks.

Enjoy your Easter celebrations, as much as you can, and I look forward to hearing or reading about your exploits under lock down.  

Stay safe.

Oh, one last thing if I may; As a former Royal Air Force aircraft engineer, when a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off.  You sit still and trust the engineer.  Stay on the train.

​The Cheshire Centre committee has now taken the very difficult decision to suspend all centre activities until Government advice changes.  This will obviously impact on our way of life but, for the good of society, I feel it is the right thing to do.

Your committee are working very hard to plan for the future, in particular the 50th Celebration Rally, but, as you can imagine with Government advice changing daily, that is very difficult.  Needless to say, as soon as we know anything we will inform you via the Weekly Updates, Web Site and Social Media. 

We will review our position on running rallies on a week by week basis and be guided by Government advice with primary concern being the safety of our members.  Whilst this is unsettling your patience and understanding is appreciated at this very difficult time.

On a personal note I would like ALL centre members to stay safe and to stay in touch, in particular those centre members living on their own.  Please feel free to pick up the phone for help or just a chat.

As you all, hopefully know by now, we are running a Craft Fair on the Saturday of the Celebration Rally between 2 and 4 pm in the main marquee.  It promises to be an interesting couple of hours looking at other ralliers skills, interests and passions.

We have received a number of people who are planning to show or sell their wares, but if you fancy showing the ralliers your talents be that your art work, photographs, collections etc or want to sell the little gadgets you have made then please contact Kev Patterson as soon as possible so we can allocate the correct amount of room in the marquee.

With less than 50 days to go to the rally, final planning is well underway, so please contact Kev now, don't put it off until later, if you want to display at the Craft Fair.  Help us make it a BRILLIANT weekend.

Thanks.

As with all of our centre's previous celebration rallies I intent to stick with protocol, particularly during the Opening and Closing ceremonies.  Jan Moore, the CAMC Vice Chairmen, will be our main guest and will formally open and close the rally for us.

Also on the stage will be as many Past Centre Chairmen as I have been able to contact, along with various Visiting Centre Chairmen, our main sponsors and your committee. 

I really think this is important, particularly inviting our Past Centre Chairmen to be on the stage, because if it wasn't for all of their hard work and dedication, along with their partners, we wouldn't be enjoying rallying as we do today.  Please show your respect when they are called onto stage by applauding them; thank you. 

As I am sure you all know, whenever you are organising a big party or a large rally there are always lots of 'little' jobs that always need completing.  At this point we have received lots of volunteers for siting the vans and that's great, but we'd like a few more who can help with a host of other activities.  So if you feel you can offer us a few hours to help out, please speak with any member of the committee or complete the form below.

Many hands make light work, thanks in anticipation of hordes of volunteers contacting us. ​

You may know that over the last 7 years I have been on a mission collecting information about the history of the centre and turning it into a film.  I completed version 1 of the film and showed it at the 2015 Celebration Rally; the feedback I received was very positive.  Each time I have received more memorabilia I have created a new version of the film, I am now working on film number 7 and the film has gone from 27 minutes to 63 minutes.

The film is split into different sections one of which is past chairmen.  The early rally brochures didn't have photos of the committee so early chairmen started off as shadows in the film, but over time, many e-mails and phone calls I have tracked down photos of all but the very first chairman, Cyril Burnman.   

However, a couple of days ago, out of the blue, Ian Morrey, a rallier from 1968 contacted me and sent me the missing photo.  So a huge thank you to Ian.  So now another piece of our great centre's history will be remembered in the film.

If anyone has any centre memorabilia, especially from the very early days, please contact me as soon as possible so I can add it to the latest version; thanks.  

​The film will be available to view on the Saturday afternoon at the Celebration rally, even if I say so myself, it is a great film.