Newsletter Date Volume 1, Issue 1 Preston & District MG Enthusiasts Club Established 1980 January 2015 The club s new pennant on show at the Plough, Runshaw Lane - on the Cold Turkey Run Forthcoming Events Tuesday 27th January Club Night - AGM starting at 8.00pm prompt. Tuesday 24th February - Bowling Night at the Lakeside, Preston (instead of club night) 1
SECRETARY S SCRIBBLES Bill has not been able to get Chairman s Chat out this month. His health remains the main priority at the moment and hopefully he will join us at the AGM on the 27th. What do you think of the new club flag? It should stand out loud and clear at future shows, and the base simply fits under the wheel of a car, keeping the whole thing secure. Gordon s blue V8 is doing the honours in the photograph. And talking of Gordon - rumour has it that he has bought yet another MGC, this time a GT in Old English, or something similar. That s 3 now, Gordon? Apart from the other makes, of course. The club s annual dinner at Ashton & Lea Golf Club was very well attended, with members and guests enjoying an excellent meal, with fine musical entertainment afterwards. Kevin was on the mike, in Bill s absence, and presented the annual awards to those deserving members. The Lancashire Lanes Committee picked up the Sam Bennett trophy for their endeavours during the year in organising and pulling off another fabulous run. Ray & Lynda, the Fowler Cup for SYCO, Andy the Bowling trophy, Brian & Andrea the Treasure Hunt cup, Archie the Autotest plaque & Team Schofield, Sharples, Doran & Co. the club quiz plaque. All good stuff! And so on to the Cold Turkey Run. The day was nice and crisp with blue sky, but a little icy in parts, and very icy in other parts as I will come to. We all met in the car park of the Plough on Runshaw Lane, and yes - there were some Roadsters with the tops down! Brave souls. I might add I wasn t one of them, as my other half wanted the comfort of warmth during the run. And so we set off at around 11.00am for a 30 mile amble, or so we thought. After some 18 miles or so, with John Durkin and Carolyn leading the pack at some pace, I passed a car coming the other way and the driver had his window down. He was waving me down but I had passed him and thought for some reason he was asking me to slow down. I wasn t going fast so thought it odd, I was on a flat country road and there were no obstructions. The road felt perfectly safe, and really there were no problems that I could see. Within a mile I approached a hill leading out of a wooded area into the open, and that is where I realised why that motorist had tried to flag me down. John had chased up the hill in his BGT, with Roy Clapham behind in his Freelander, then me and the pack behind. John got half way up this narrow hill, and his car slowed up to a halt on the suddenly very icy and slippery surface. We were all queued up behind, albeit with a reasonably safe distance between cars, and we could see John was in trouble. To complicate matters, some 20 to 30 ramblers were making their way down the hill on the verge, leaving little room for manoeuvre. Next move up to you John! Some of us got out of our cars to have a chat and to decide on the way forward, and nearly went over on the treacherous road. Well, I don t think it was feasible to reverse back down in the conditions, one at a time, as there would be little visibility out the back window, and if the cars took a slide, who knows what would have happened. So, John decided to do a 3 point turn very very carefully. I think it may have been a 7 point turn, but who cares - he did it, and slowly inched his way down the hill, two wheels on the grass verge for grip. And so we all followed suit - successfully. Well, we MG drivers are a careful lot. Having re-grouped, it was time to head back to our lunch destination, the Plough where we started. Unfortunately they had problems with their central heating system the night before and the pub was BRRRRRR - cold. But a nice lunch was had by all - and without any doubt this scenic run which we didn t finish, will be a feature sometime during this year. 2
Gordon has asked me to mention that several members have not settled up their subs ( 15) for 2015, and he would welcome a cheque, either by post, or by hand at the AGM. His phone No. is 07725 503888 and his address is 28 Northwood Close, Burnley BB12 OJR. Pictures from the club s annual dinner & awards night There s more.. 3
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And - on the slippery slope! 5
Hamilton House Farm on the A586, off the A6 at Garstang, PR3 0TB is home to the car and biker autojumbles throughout the year. I ve been to one or two, and as well as the cars & bikes on display, the autojumble stands are absolutely first class. There are really good facilities at this site, food outlets, loos etc. and so if you feel like it - go. The dates during 2015 are: Sunday 22nd March, Sunday 19th April, Sunday 10th May, Sunday 14th June, Sunday 12th July, Sunday 9th August, Sunday 13th September, Sunday 18th October and Sunday 8th November. 3.50 admission for adults. FOR SALE Bill Bradshaw is retiring from engine rebuilds, and has a useful item for sale: GODFREY Clarke CES 750A engine stand, supplied with or without custom built engine rebuild bench. See Machine Mart product item 020110465 selling new at 83.98 including VAT. Rotating mounting plate allows all round access to engine for major repair or rebuild when removed from vehicle. Only 30 for club members contact Bill Bradshaw on 01257 261134 Spotted by Kevin Doran - on his travels. Gordon Mallett country, was it Kevin? 6
MEMBERS MUMBLINGS Mazda are shortly bringing out a new MX5, Porsche are upgrading the Boxster and Cayman, yet the car that the great British public want more than any of these foreign sports cars is the NEW MG Roadster. The picture generated is to give an impression of what would be, I think, a beautiful sports car which would certainly turn heads. The only downside is it is lacking flared wheel arches and possible bright red alloy wheels! Have you seen my bright orangy red beauties on my V8? Sets it off, doesn t it? Silver wheels could be an optional extra on the new MG. And - I would also suggest that the new MG (I wish) comes with a 4 wheel drive option to enable the real enthusiast to complete the Cold Turkey Runs in future. Graham Lockwood 7
Preston & District MG Enthusiasts Club Agenda for the Annual General Meeting to be held at the Railway at Leyland, on Tuesday the 27 th January 2015, commencing 8.30pm Opening remarks by the Chairman Reading of Minutes of 2014 AGM by Secretary Following agreement that these are a true and accurate record, proposal & second that these be accepted. Matters arising Financial Report by Treasurer Following agreement that these are a true and accurate record, proposal & second that these be accepted. Matters arising Election of Committee Members The list below shows the 2014 committee. Any other nominations can be accepted at this meeting, followed by election if numbers exceed those specified in club constitution. 2014 Officers Chairman Bill Ryding (nominated for 2014) Secretary Godfrey Dennis (nominated for 2014) Treasurer Mick Bamber (nominated for 2014) Election of General Committee Vice Chairman - Kevin Doran (nominated for 2014) Membership Secretary - Gordon Mallett (nominated for 2014) Webmaster - Michael Hart (nominated for 2014) Paul Heyes (nominated for 2014) Newsletter Editor - Godfrey Dennis (nominated for 2014) Any other nominations. 2015 Events programme Membership Renewal Fees The committee would like to suggest that the membership fee should remain at 15 per year, renewable in October. Note: Our club fees are based on a family membership, which could include husband & wife, boyfriend and girlfriend or partners. 2015 Lancashire Lanes Run - nominations for committee. (Tony Sharples nominated as Chairman for 2014) Any Other Business To ALL club members it is your club and the AGM is a special chance to have your say. PLEASE support your committee and club by attending and getting involved. 8
Jan 27th AGM PRESTON & DISTRICT MGEC DRAFT Calendar of Club Events 2015 Feb 24th Club Night - Bowling at Lakeside 8pm start Mar 22nd Sunday Run & Lunch 24th Club Night - Speaker Apr 12th Run & Lunch 26th Drive It Day - inc. Treasure Hunt 28th Club Night - including a quiz May 3rd Club Run - start from Mitton Hall 26th Club Night - Evening Run Jun 5/8th NTBHWE - Derbyshire 7th (Alternative) - Cleveleys Car Show 14th 33rd Lancs. Classic Car Show - Hoghton Tower 19th/22nd Woodvale Show 23rd Autotest - Schultz Palace 28th Classic Car Show - Townley Park, Burnley Jul 4th Lostock Hall Carnival 5th Leighton Hall Classic Car Show 12th Club Run & Lunch 19th Fleetwood Tram Day 26th Yorkshire Pudding Run 28th Club Night - SYCO Aug 9th Northern National, Pateley Bridge 16th Sunday Run & Lunch 23rd Lancashire Lanes Run 25th Club Night - Evening Run Sep 12th Oulton Park - MG Race Meeting 13th Fairhaven Classic Car Show - Lunch at Chadwick 29th Club Night - Annual Quiz Oct 11th Sunday Run & Lunch 27th Club Night Nov 7th Bonfire, hotpot & fireworks at the Schultz Estate 24th Club Night - Natter/Noggin + Diary Planning Dec 5th Annual Dinner & Awards at Ashton & Lea Golf Club 27th Cold Turkey Run 9
Date Club Event Time Start / Meet Tue 24 Feb Tenpin Bowling 20.00 Lakeside Superbowl 8pm Sun 22 Mar Sunday Run & Lunch 10.30 TBA Tue 24 Mar Club Night (Speaker) 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sun 12 Apr Sunday Run & Lunch 10.30 TBA Sun 26 Apr Drive IT Day inc. Treasure Hunt 10.00 TBA Tue 28 Apr Club Night (inc. Quiz) 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sun 3 May Sunday Run & Lunch. 10.00 Starting from Mitton Hall Tue 26 May Club Night evening run 19.00 TBA 5/8th Jun NTBHWE Derbyshire 09.30 TBA Sun 14 Jun Hoghton Tower Classic Car Show 10.00 B&Q car park, Bamber Bridge Tue 23 Jun Autotest 19.30 Schultz Palace Sun 28 Jun Classic Car Show Burnley 10.00 B&Q Bamber Bridge Sat 4 Jul Lostock Hall Carnival 10.30 Gas Works Road, Lostock Hall Sun 5 Jul Leighton Hall Classic Car Show 09.30 Phantom Winger Sun 12 Jul Club Run & Lunch 10.30 TBA Sun 19 Jul Fleetwood Tram Day 09.30 Ribble Pilot car park, Preston Tue 28 Jul Club Night SYCO 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sun 9 Aug Northern National Pateley Bridge 09.30 TBA Sun 16 Aug Sunday Run & Lunch 10.30 TBA Sun 23 Aug Lancashire Lanes Run 09.30 TBA Tue 25 Aug Club Night - evening run? 20.00 TBA Sat 12 Sep Oulton Park MG Race Meeting 09.00 Charnock Richard Services M6 Sun 13 Sep Fairhaven Classic Car Show & lunch 10.30 Ribble Pilot car park Sun 28 Sept Canberra Club Annual Classic Show 11.00 At BAE premises, Samlesbury Tue 29 Sep Club Night Annual Quiz 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sun 11 Oct Sunday Run & Lunch 10.30 Phantom Winger Tue 27 Oct Club Night 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sat 7 Nov Bonfire Night inc. hotpot 19.00 Schultz Palace Tue 24 Nov Club Night Natter & Noggin 20.00 Railway at Leyland Sat 5 Dec Annual Dinner & Awards 19.30 Ashton & Lea Golf Club Sun 27 Dec Cold Turkey Run 10.30 TBA 10
Committee, Contacts and Useful Information Committee Chairman Bill Ryding Tel: 01772 323116 Mobile: 07770 440422 william.wryding@virginmedia.com Secretary Godfrey Dennis Tel: 01772 640841 Mobile: 07780 682592 grfdennis@gmail.net Treasurer Mick Bamber Tel: 01772 321559 Mobile: 07730 435929 mick@mcbamber.com Membership Gordon Mallett Tel: 01282 429658 Mobile: 07725 503888 gordon.mg@btinternet.com Vice Chairman Kevin Doran Tel: 01772 877285 Mobile: 07746 366722 Kevin.doran6@btopenworld.com General Paul Heyes Tel: 01257 472262 Mobile: 07930 313459 paulstuartheyes@hotmail.com General Michael Hart Tel: 01772 725275 Mobile: 07505 261593 blue_icarian_wings@hotmail.com Editor: Godfrey Dennis Newsletter Highbank, 9 Marsh Lane, Longton, Preston PR4 5ZJ Tel: 01772 640841 Mobile: 07780 682592 All articles to be sent to the editor by email or post by the 15th of the month Webmaster Michael Hart Tel: 01772 725275 e-mail: blue_icarian_wings@hotmail.com Trading Members Andy Schultz (club technical consultant) Cuerden Classics John Ashworth (Accident Repairs etc.) Croston Tel: 01772 627120 Mobile 07817 173158 andy@pr55xq.freeserve.co.uk Tel: 01772 600964 johnashworth56@gmail.com 11