South London Centre Newsletter July 2015

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1 South London Centre Newsletter July 2015 Bumper edition this time! As usual, we will start off with a look back at our most recent rallies. Birthday Rally The May bank holiday saw SLC put on it s big 70 th Birthday rally. This was at the delightful Friars Priory near Aylesford. Nigel and Loraine were our tireless hosts for the weekend, and we had a very good turnout of 63 vans. Have to say this really was an excellent weekend. It had it all top notch entertainment, champagne reception, a big prize raffle, and a full service sit down meal. Friday saw us start off with a sausages and burgers meal after which we were entertained by Jules a very entertaining singer. Saturday evening started off with a champagne reception in the barn. This was followed by a very tasty three course dinner, complete with wine, after which we danced the night away to The Mr Zenn Band. Special thanks to Jenny who organised the table and raffle prize decorations. It did look very professional and classy. On the Sunday morning we were all treated to a celebratory cream tea in the marquee. Everybody was given a complimentary 70 th birthday mug (what a brilliant idea) and were served up some tasty home-made scones (well done to Mel and Rosemary). They were delicious. So delicious in fact that, unfortunately, I was not quick enough

2 with the camera! On the Sunday evening we had a ploughmans supper, after which we were entertained by Rhythmic and then Mr Christopher Gee. We also had a super prize raffle with some very nice goodies on offer. Thank you to all those generous individuals/businesses who donated items for the raffle. It was a great evening, very entertaining. Once again, a big thank you and well done to all the members of the birthday committee, especially Nigel and Loraine, for putting on such a great rally. Lots of people also helped out in one way or another (far too many to mention) so thanks to you all. It really was much appreciated. I can t wait for our 75th birthday rally which Nigel assures me will be even more spectacular than this one! Other Rallies Next up was the Haversack Car Show Rally at Brogdale Farm on May. Val and Alan were in the driving seat for this one. Val reported back: This was organized by The Haversack Car Show Company who invited us to their event. There were many vintage commercial vehicles on the first day and a vintage bus to transport us to and from Brogdale. There were also many stalls and lots to eat. We had a lovely hog roast and gorgeous home made sweets! Naughty! During the evening the local pubs stayed open late with live entertainment. The second day was dedicated to vintage cars and motorbikes and proved most interesting to the enthusiast. There were working models which people could operate on remote control and these were taken round the streets. Very popular. After that was the National Follow on Rally at Swiss Farm Touring Park in Henley on Thames on the May. Once again Val and Alan were our hosts for the weekend. Jim Brown filed this report from the front-line! We had a small rally with 4 from East Kent, 2 from South London, plus the two Rally Officers making a total of 8 outfits. We arrived to find awnings had been erected between the two caravans to provide a place for us to gather over the four days.

3 For the Wednesday on our first day we went over to the awnings for nibbles and a natter to get together, which was very pleasant for the 16 of us. On the Thursday we met by the awnings, then we all made our way into Henley for a meal at a local pub. For the Friday afternoon we made our way into Henley for boat ride on the Thames. In the evening we gathered in the awnings for nibbles, homemade fun together with soup and bread. With the Saturday for the last day we all took part in game of croquet together and was provided with a cream tea. For the evening we had a quiz along with cheese and biscuits together with wine on tap. During the days we were able to take advantage of bus stops right outside the gate to visit Marlow, High Wycombe and Reading. We all went home on Sunday having what was in effect a wonderful 4 day party, which was thanks to Val, Alan, Ken and Rosemary for all their hard work to make it all possible The middle weekend in June saw us at a new location, Penshurst Place near Tonbridge. Ken and Sue were our host for the weekend (and a special thank you to them for taking this rally on at fairly short notice). Nice location and good weather. There were about 10 or so vans at this rally and a good time was had by all. The end of June saw us at Heaven Farm near Uckfield. Mick and Cynthia together with Bill and Audrey were our hosts for the weekend. We had a good turnout of 13 vans for this rally. It s the first time I have been to Heaven Farm and have to say it was a very pretty site. The weather was very good and we were all treated to cream teas, scones and strawberries on Saturday afternoon. Here is a picture of my prize winning boules. Oh, I almost forgot. There was also the South London Centre boules competition on the Saturday. We had a good turnout for this and there were some close battles in the early rounds. I am very pleased to say that my beginners luck carried over from last year and I was able to beat a very sporting Bill Castle in the final. Sheila and Eileen were the leading ladies, both reaching the semi-finals. Future Rallies Next up on July will be the Rooten Tooten Cowboy Weekend at Crockstead Farm Hotel in Halland, East Sussex. Mel and Jenny will be the marshals (or should that be sheriffs) for this weekend. Weather permitting there will be horse shoe

4 throwing and rifle shooting competitions, followed by a western themed dinner on Saturday evening. No doubt there will be some of Mel s delicious home-made cooking on offer as well. It sounds great fun so don t miss it! After that on the 30 July 2 August we will be returning to Godinton House near Ashford. My good self and Lesley will be in charge for this one. Please note that this will be our first Thursday start rally! It s a lovely location and you do have the opportunity to walk around the gardens free of charge. For those of you who have an artistic bent, Godinton House have organised an open air theatre production for Friday night. This is chargeable. See the Godinton House website for details. Following that on 6-9 August that will be the fishing competition rally at Gabriels Farm, Marsh Green, Edenbridge. Nigel and Loraine, together with Paul and Jenny, will be hosting the weekend. Please note that this is another Thursday start. After that on August is the Haugeland Village rally at Burmarsh. Now this one is a Tuesday start! This rally is to coincide with the Hythe Venetian Fete, a colourful event on the canal a short distance from Haguelands Village. The Venetian Fete is on the Wednesday evening. There is plenty to do locally including the Hythe and Dymchurch railway to Dungeness or Hythe. You can visit the power station, the lighthouse or the beach of special scientific interest. Val and Alan (who still just can t stop running rallies) will be our hosts for the week. Rally forms are on the SLC website for these rallies. Don t forget - it s really helpful to the rally officers if you can book in as early as possible. So don t delay, book in today!! Christmas Rally 2015 Please note that the Christmas Rally dates have been changed. The rally is now on th December (not 4-6th December as in the rally book). Don t miss it. Fixture List 2016 Earlier this year the Chairman and Honorary Secretary locked Val into a dark room and told her that they would not let her out until she had put together an exciting rally program for They set her the almost impossible task that it had to be even better than the 2015 program. Five days later Val emerged triumphant. And she has

5 good reason to be pleased. There are some superb rallies in some great new locations. Here is a sneak preview. South London Centre Rallies January 22-24th CTS Vehicle Services, Beddow Way, Aylesford. Kent. ME20 7HB. Marshals - Nigel Blackman & Loraine February 12-14th Bethersden Village Hall, Forge Hill, Bethersden, Kent. TN26 3AF Theme - Valentines Marshals Andy & Lesley Elliott March 4-6th Challock Memorial Hall, Blind Lane, Challock, Ashford. TN25 March 24-29th April 7-10th April 14-17th Hastings Touring Park, Barley Lane, Hastings. TN35 5DX Theme - Easter, including indoor heated swimming pool, gym, fishing (extra cost) restaurant, discounted local attractions. Marshals - Ken & Rosemary Wellard. Val & Alan Mitchell. Clipgate Farm, Lodge Lees, Denton, Canterbury. CT4 6NS Waterside Oast, Water Lane, Headcorn, Kent. TN27 9JN April 29 - May 2nd Butcherlands Farm, Ebernoe, nr. Petworth, Sussex. Theme th Celebration Rally with lamb roast. Marshals - Invite from Surrey Centre. May 12-16th The White Horse Inn, Tattingstone, Suffolk. IP9 2NU Theme - New Horizons, Pub & Entertainment. Marshals - Val & Alan Mitchell. May 27-31st June 3-5th June 17-27th The National - Venue and further details available nearer the time. Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone, Kent. ME14 3JF Theme - Motorhome & Caravan Show Marshals - Val & Alan Mitchell Somerset Showground, Bunns Lane, Frome, Somerset. BA11 5ES

6 Theme - Holiday Rally June 30-July 3rd Henfold Lakes, Henfold Lane, Beare Green, Dorking, RH5 4RW Theme - Fishing July 14-17th Overshore Caravan Park, Horsham Lane, Rainham, Kent. ME8 7XB Theme - Castle Concert July 29-Aug 9th August 11-14th August 22-30th September 2-4th September 8-11th or 15-18th (tbc) September 22-25th October 7-9th October 28-30th East Kent Birthday Rally Marshals East Kent Centre Bridge Farm, Appledore, Kent. TN26 2DE Marshals tba Lyndon Top Caravan & Camping, Rutland Water. LE15 8RN Theme - Holiday Rally Faversham, Kent Theme - Hop Festival Marshals - East Kent Centre Chichester, Sussex. Theme - Goodwood Revival Meeting (tickets purchased separately) Marshals - West Sussex Centre Gatwick Aviation Museum. Charlwood, Surrey. RH6 0BT Theme - Nominations Stockbury Village Hall, The Street, Stockbury, Kent. ME9 7UD Theme - AGM and dinner & dance Marshals - Committee Kent Boat and Ski Centre, Cuxton, Kent. ME2 1AD Theme - Halloween

7 November 4-6th Brockham, Surrey Theme - Fireworks Marshals - Surrey Centre November 11-13th Regional AGM Details tbc nearer the time. November 25-27th Abbey School, London Road, Faversham. ME13 8RZ Marshals - Chris and Jane Elliott December 9-11th December 29th - January 2nd 2017 Wrotham School, Wrotham, Kent. Theme - Xmas Social Marshals - Committee Addington Village Hall, Park Road, Addington, Kent. ME19 5BQ Theme - New Year Rally Marshals Committee I will publish an updated list with costings in the next newsletter. Don t forget we need rally officers for quite a few of these rallies. If you are interested in helping out then please contact Sue at the South London Centre website so we can mark you down as rally officers. Remember, I am always happy to help with rally forms/welcome notes etc if that is an issue. Easter 2016 Val, who is very clever, realised that next year the Easter Bank Holiday is in March (ie very early) and that having a rally in a farmer s field somewhere could well be a bit of a washout. Val has solved this potential problem by organising the Easter rally at Hastings Touring Park. This includes hard standings for our heavyweight motorhome friends, and also EHU for those that want to keep the TV and heating permanently on. Val has also negotiated a super cheap deal.

8 Here s the sales pitch. Next Easter is in late March and we shall have a rally booked at Hastings on a commercial site. Having negotiated a price per night at 12 this will include a pitch (hard standing for motor homes) use of an indoor heated swimming pool, a gym, entertainment in the bar and discounted vouchers for local attractions. There is a lovely restaurant where we hope to organise a group meal, spotless toilet and shower blocks, fishing nearby in a reservoir, lovely walks and interesting wildlife. For an additional cost ( 3) there is EHU on every pitch and there is a charge for dogs. We expect a lot of interest after this year s success so look out for details shortly! It sounds great. Don t miss it. Now here is the important bit: This rally should be quite popular so you do need to book in advance to reserve a place. You will need to send a post dated cheque (1 Jan 2016) for 30 to Val by the end of December But really, the earlier the better. Contact Val direct for details. Your Committee Needs You! Want to make a difference? Are you bright, energetic, and self-motivated? Probably not. Anyway, we will soon have a couple of vacancies on the South London Centre committee, so why not join and be at the heart of the decision making process. We really do need people to step forward, so please give it some thought. If we don t have a committee, then we don t have a centre. Health News SLC members used to be a pretty fit lot. Not, it seems, anymore. Numerous people are in various states of disrepair and/or are in need of some form of refurbishment.

9 So many, in fact, that I can t keep up! Needless to say we wish everybody suffering from ill health a speedy recovery and hope to see you all back on the rally field soon. Pets Corner This month we highlight a couple of chirpy, colourful soul mates, who spend an extraordinary amount of time together in a small, confined space. No, it s not Graham and June - it s Billy and Bobby!! I know it s an old joke...but they like it. Names: Billy & Bobby Owners: Ken & Rosemary Wellard What are they: Budgies Favourite Hobby: Flying round the conservatory every day and keeping Ken fit trying to catching them Favourite Joke: Q. When is the best time to buy a budgie A. When it is going cheep And Finally Don t forget...val has put together an exciting rally program for If you have not already done so then please do check it out. It would be great to see some of the SLC members who have not rallied with us for a while come back and meet up with old friends. For anybody who is reading this and has yet to come on a SLC rally please do consider giving one a try. It s better value and much more fun than going to a club site! Andy - Newsletter Editor ellirallyslc@outlook.com

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